Memories Revived
by Silver Ash
Summary: A new girl, Amber, becomes integrated into the group and suddenly new memories from the Silver Millenium are revealed. New really long chapter with a battle!
1. Default Chapter

**CRASH**  
  
"Ouch," a young girl with two blonde pig tails cried from her place on the ground. She quickly recovered and stood up to give her apologies. She had been running like a bird chased by a cat down the street when the collision had occurred. "I'm sorry." She immediately began apologizing to the person she had run into .  
"Don't worry about it, Meatball Head," said a deep voice.  
  
The girl stopped mid-bow knowing immediately who it had come from. She raised her eyes to see a tall handsome man with ebony hair and deep blue eyes wearing a white t-shirt (that coincidently showed off how often he worked out) and some jeans standing above her. "My name is SERENA, Darien! Why can't you ever remember my name?"  
  
"I know your name, I just like my name for you better," he said back.  
  
"Ohhhhh! I can't deal with you right now, Darien! I can't be late for school today!"  
  
"Okay, I can take a hint. See ya around...Meatball Head!"  
  
"Ohhhh," said Serena before sprinting off in the direction of her high school. "I can't believe that guy," Serena thought to herself, "He just always HAS to tease me; can't let me go by without saying 'Meatball Head.' Ohhh! But actually, he did let me off easy today. I wonder why. But I guess that I don't really mind being teased by a handsome college student." Serena giggled to herself as she came upon Ami and Lita walking to school together. "Hey girls," she called out.  
  
"Hey Serena," they said back, stopping to wait for her.  
  
"Serena, are we running late or are you just early," asked Lita with a big smile on her face. The brunette amazon teased her friend.  
  
Serena grinned too, "I am on time today. I don't want to chance getting a detention with the meeting after school."  
  
"Right. Are we going to walk over to Rei's together after school," asked Ami, tucking some blue hair behind her ear.  
  
"Yeah," said Lita, "that sounds good to me."  
  
They agreed to meet in the in front of the school and walk to the Cherry Hill Temple after classes let out. The girls arrived at the Juuban High School and started their day.  
  


* * *

  
"Hey, Amber, wait up," cried a girl from down the hall. Long blonder hair flowed behind her as she ran to catch up with her friend. "Amber! Amber, can you hear me?" Upon reaching Amber, she saw that the girl was completely oblivious to the entire world. She followed Amber's eyes across the hall to a handsome guy walking into an art classroom. He wore a jacket that proved he was on the school baseball team and smiled at everyone he spoke to. He had some dark blond hair with a few natural highlights scattered about and dancing brown eyes. After he was out of sight, she waved a hand in front of Amber's face. "Hello?"  
  
"What?!" cried Amber. "Oh, hi Elise."  
  
"Caught you staring again."  
  
"Yeah, I know, I just can't help myself. He's just so...so..."  
  
"Perfect?"  
  
"Yeah...," the dreamy look returned to Amber's eyes.  
  
"Well, you better hurry and get to that class before the bell rings and you get detention," said Elise, tugging at her friend's arm trying to get her to move along. Amber was a bit taller than her so the task was harder than it looked.  
  
"Okay," said Amber, giggling a bit at her friend's English accent.  
  
"You're not used to my accent yet," asked Elise, aware of her giggling. She laughed too, now that they were moving. "You've known me for 4 months."  
  
"I can help it. It's just so cute," said Amber.  
  
"Well, thanks. Now you get in there after him! I gotta run to my chem class," said Elise. They arrived at the door the guy had gone in.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Deep breath," said Elise.  
  
They both took a breath.  
  
"You'll be okay."  
  
"Okay, thanks Elise," said Amber. "I'll see you later."  
  
"Okay, bye Amber."  
  
"Bye!"  
  


* * *

  
"I can't believe that you were actually at school on time today, Serena," said Mina. "I mean, I love ya girl, but that's amazing."  
  
"I know, I know," said Serena. "Can we just start the meeting?"  
  
Mina, Ami, and Serena sat on the few stone steps that lead into the temple while Lita leaned against a pillar and Rei stood with a broom finishing her chores. It was a gorgeous day outside. The sky was a vibrant blue with just enough streaks of clouds to provide a little shade. The sun created a warm spring day, and none of the girls wanted to be in a meeting for long. The sunshine day was calling their names and they hadn't gotten time off since school let out.  
  
Luna and Artemis were sitting on the top step and saw how the other girls were drifting off. "The sooner we get this done, the better," Artemis told Luna.  
  
"Yes," she agreed, "we had better get started. Girls, let's try to make this quick."  
  
"Yay," squealed Serena. The rest of the group looked at her and the girls laughed.  
  
"Yeah," said Mina, as the laughter quieted, "let's hurry and finish this."  
  
Everyone focused their attention on the two guardian cats. Both had gold crescent moons on their forehead, birthmarks of their past. Artemis was completely white and guided Mina because as Sailor Venus she was the leader of the Scouts. Luna belonged to Serena, Sailor Moon and the Princess of the White Moon kingdom. The titles of their past lives carried over to the present, whether or not the girls fully understood what they meant.  
  
"Well, as you all know, there hasn't been much activity since we defeated Queen Beryl," began Luna, "but we still need to stay on our toes. Something big is going to start soon, I can feel it. And we still don't know who Tuxedo Mask is."  
  
Serena rolled her big, sky-blue eyes and picked out a strand of hair from one of her ponytails to twirl around her fingers. She had heard this speech on and off for the past two weeks from her cat and it wasn't getting any more interesting. Even though she wanted to know the identity of the masked hero who always saved her as Sailor Moon, she knew there was no way to find that out until the next battle happened.  
  


* * *

  
Amber strolled down a sidewalk in Tokyo, on her way to the hospital. It was a beautiful day, and she was taking full advantage of it. The sun's rays fell lightly on her face and a gently breeze blew through her hair, like fingers combing it. Amber loved the wind; it felt as if it blew only for her. That it came and went as she pleased, instead of listening to Mother Nature. Amber thought the wind liked her too. It always played with her hair; a child playing with a new toy. Today was no different. The wind picked out all the silver strands of her hair from the auburn ones. Wisps of silver would occasionally fall into her face, making her giggle. "Strange how the wind seems to like the silver more than the brown in my hair," thought Amber. "But then again I do too."  
  
As she enjoyed all of this she fell into her daydreams. Normally these would consist of the guy she was interested in, but today her mind was elsewhere. The school today had been a-buzz with talk of Sailor Moon. "I haven't read about her in the news for a while," Amber thought while walking. "I guess that there hasn't been much trouble around Tokyo lately. And that's a good thing. I wish I could find out more about her. Ahh, heck. I wish I could be her. To be that strong and protect the world would be so awesome. But it'll never happen."  
  
Before she knew it, Amber was in front of the hospital. She pulled some a piece of paper out of her backpack and looked at the room number written on it before walking in the front doors.  
  


* * *

  
~Darien's POV~  
  
**CRASH**  
  
"Ouch," cried a girl's voice. She stood holding her head in the middle of a hospital hallway.  
  
"At least this girl doesn't fall when she runs into someone," I thought to myself. I looked the girl I just ran into over; the way a person does whenever they meet someone new. She was younger than me and looked to be about 17. She was pretty, though. Very pretty. She was tall, but still a couple inches shorter than me at 6'0. She had big green eyes that show all that ran through her mind; much like Serena's only a piercing emerald instead of sky blue. She had long, wavy dark brown hair with wisps of silver in it. The girl wore a school uniform that looked like the one Serena's friends, Mina, wears. The shirt didn't quite come down to meet the skirt so a little of her thin stomach peeked out.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said, bringing me out of my own world.  
  
I gazed into her eyes, trying to form words. Suddenly, my mind decided to stop working. "How does this girl do this to me," I wondered. "Only Serena can make me act this way. It's as if I've known this girl before... feeling tugging at my heart."  
  
"Are you okay," she asked me. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern.  
  
I smiled at her. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?  
  
"Yeah," she said. She smiled, a little embarrassed for running into me. "I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going."  
  
"Don't worry about it," I told her. I glanced to the ground and saw that she dropped a piece of paper. I reached down to pick it up for her.  
  
She took it softly from my hand. "Thank you," she said shyly. "Do you work here?"  
  
"Yep," I said. "Can I help you find something?"  
  
"Yes," she said. "That would be great!"  
  
Clearly she had been wondering around for a while already.  
  
"So, what are you looking for?"  
  
She handed me the piece of paper. "It's my mother's new office. I was supposed to be there 20 minutes ago but this hospital is so big."  
  
"It's okay," I told her. "I used to get lost all the time when I first started working here. And actually, this is where I'm going anyway."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yep, I'm supposed to deliver these charts to Dr. Johnson." I showed her the small stack of charts I'm carrying under my arm.  
  
"That's my mom."  
  
"Great. We can walk over there together." I pointed her in the direction we should be going. I couldn't believe how excited I was about walking with this girl to her mom's office. I mean, I didn't usually walk around with anyone, and there I was walking around with a girl whose name I didn't even know. That was when I realized, "Wait! I don't even know this girl's name!"  
  
"Uh...my name is Darien," I said to her waiting for a response. I couldn't believe that I was actually nervous! I was supposed to be suave and sophisticated. Tuxedo Mask would never act like that.  
  
She turned her face to me as we walked and smiled. I breathed a small sigh of relief. "Good," I thought. "A smile is good."  
  
"My name is Amber."  
  
She brought out her hand from under the school book she carried for me to shake. I slowly brought out my own and we shook. It was then that I noticed that her book was in English. And she didn't have slanted eyes at all. And her skin wasn't pale. She was definitely not from around here. "So...where are you from?" I decided that small talk was a good thing.  
  
She slightly blushed again. "Is my accent that obvious?"  
  
"No, actually," I said. "You speak Japanese fine, but you don't exactly look like you're from around here."  
  
She giggled slightly. What a beautiful sound. I definitely had to make her do that more often. It seemed like we'd laughed together before...but where...and when? We'd never met before.  
  
"I'm originally from America."  
  
"Wow," I said. I'd never met anyone from America before. "So, why are you at a hospital in Japan?"  
  
"Well, my father is a Christian pastor and likes to do missionary work. My mom's a doctor so it's easy for her to move around and she likes to do missionary work too. They used to travel a lot before I was born, but when they had me they felt like they should stop. I know that they missed it. But earlier this year an opportunity came up to go to Japan. I had been learning Japanese in school at home and decided that I would be willing to live here. So we moved here a few months ago."  
  
"Wow," I said, amazed that she was able to do all that at such a young age. I had only learned English last year. "Is it hard to come here and live in a completely different country with a different language and no friends?"  
  
"Well, it was hard at first," she spoke to me, glancing up to my face every once in a while so she could still watch where she was going. I thought to myself, "It's so cute that she's trying not to klutz out again. Whoa! Did I just call her cute?!?! This is starting to get weird. I never use that word. Okay, maybe sometimes I say that about Serena, but it's still weird that I said it now. And the way I'm thinking...I never get this excited."  
  
"But my parents got me into a private school once we got here," she said to me.  
  
I tried desperately to keep my attention on her—to learn everything I could about her. But, for some reason, my mind and even my heart kept wondering why this girl seemed so familiar to me. It was strange; usually my heart didn't respond to anything.  
  
"It's a wonderful school. Almost all of the international students in Tokyo go there. We have some classes that are taught in English, some in French, and in Spanish because so many of the students didn't know Japanese before coming here. And, of course, we all go to a Japanese class everyday. And I get to meet people from all around the world. It's great!"  
  
"That school sounds amazing," I said honestly. "I had no idea that there was a school like that here. So, what grade are you in?"  
  
"I'm a junior," she said grinning. "Only two years left."  
  
"Only one," I said. "It's April, remember. This year is almost over."  
  
"That's right," she said. "Yes! Only one year left, and I get to spend the summer in Japan."  
  
"How long are you going to be here," I asked, wishing the answer would be forever. Even though I had only known her for ten minutes, I knew that she was a missing piece in my life. I knew that she would be able to help fill the void. Strangely, I knew that she also couldn't fill the emptiness by herself; but that she was a piece of the puzzle. "Just like Serena," I thought to myself. "Except that I feel an even stronger connection to this girl...if that's possible."  
  
She looked down sadly. "I know that we're staying at least until the end of the summer. It's horrible, but I don't know if I want to go back to the States. I mean, I miss my friends and family there, but I just can't imagine living anywhere else but here now. It's as if I was meant to live here...that I belong here. Silly, isn't it?" She tried to laugh away the thought.  
  
I stopped walking and gently turned her toward me. She looked up into my eyes. I wanted her to see me telling the truth through my eyes as I spoke the words. "It's not silly. Sometimes our hearts know better than our minds. You have to follow that feeling and trust it. It will never wrong you."  
  
She smiled at me. "Yes," she said. "You're right. I should really know better than to question my heart. Thank you."  
  
I smiled in return. I looked to my left and found that we had arrived at Dr. Johnson's office. I was sad that we would be forced to part shortly, but had controlled my emotions for so long that I could hide the feeling behind my eyes. That's the trick, you know...controlling your eyes. Let them speak only when you want them to. "Here you are," I told her.  
  
"Ya," she said, and did I detect a bit of sadness in her voice?  
  
She knocked on the door and a woman's voice called, "Come in."  
  
The girl smiled at me and opened the door.  
  
The office wasn't very big, probably because Dr. Johnson hadn't been working there long. There were two large windows on the far wall and a desk in the center of the room. A laptop was on the desk as well as other miscellaneous items: a lamp, a pen holder, pads of paper, a basket for charts to go in, etc. On the left side of the room there was a small table for the printer to sit on. There were two chairs in front of the desk for visitors to use.  
  
A woman had been sitting at the desk. She looked a lot like her daughter. She, too, had dark brown her, but it was put up and out of the way for the moment. Dr. Johnson had brown eyes, but the same smile as Amber's. She was slightly shorter than Amber and also thin. But then again, most hospital doctors are from all the running around. She rose and came out from behind the desk to greet her daughter. I stayed by the doorway to give them a chance to say hello.  
  
"Oh, Amber, I was getting worried," said Dr. Johnson as she and her daughter hugged. "I was about to send out a search party."  
  
"Sorry Mom," Amber said. "I was looking for your office for a half hour before I finally ran in to someone who could help me." Amber grinned at the last part of her comment.  
  
"Ran in to?" asked her mother.  
  
Amber turned to me. It was time to make my entrance.  
  
"We ran in to each other in the hall, Dr. Johnson," I said, and smiled at the doctor. I thought to myself, "If I do want to spend more time with Amber her mother will have to like me."  
  
"He happened to be going to your office anyway, Mom, so he walked me over here," Amber said.  
  
"I have some charts for you, Dr. Johnson," I said and stepped forward to hand them to her.  
  
"Mom, this is Darien. Darien, this is my mother, Andrea Johnson," said Amber. We shake hands. "It's nice to meet you," I said.  
  
"It's nice to meet you, too, Darien..."  
  
"Shields," I quickly answered. "I work downstairs with Dr. Zyainmata. He's the one who asked me to bring you these charts."  
  
"I see," she said.  
  
"Please let her like me," I thought. Amber was smiling back and forth, at me and her mother, urging her to like me too.  
  
"So, are you an intern here?" Dr. Johnson asked.  
  
"Ahhh...get back ground on the guy. I can understand that," I thought. "Yes," I said. "I've been taking classes at Tokyo University for two years now. I just started working here in January."  
  
"That's great. Dr. Zyainmata is very nice, and if you're studying with him you must be interested in pediatric care?"  
  
"Yes," I said, a little unwilling to let my only weakness be known. "But maybe it would be better if Amber knew it now," I thought to myself. "Lord knows that my relationship with Serena probably would be a lot better right now if she knew that I cared about some people." I finished my answer to Dr. Johnson, "It seems that kids are my only weakness. I just connect with them better than adults."  
  
Both of them smiled at me. I was proud of myself. I managed to please two women in one day. I thought to myself, "Andrew would say I have accomplished a great feat. Andrew....OH MY GOSH I'M SUPPOSED TO MEET HIM AT 4:00!!!" I glanced down at my watch to see that it was, of course, 3:55.  
  
"I'm sorry, ladies," I said suddenly, "but I'm supposed to meet a friend in a few minutes and have to be going."  
  
I noticed that Amber was disappointed by this, but regained her composure. Dr. Johnson reached out to shake my hand. "Goodbye, Darien. It was nice to meet you."  
  
"It was nice to meet you, too, Dr. Johnson," I said. Then I turned to Amber and tried to figure out how to say goodbye to her.  
  
Before I had a chance to decide on anything, she stepped up to me and gave me a hug. I was stiff to this at first. "I can't believe that she's hugging me. I don't even remember the last time I was hugged. And the girls here don't hug so willingly anyway. Maybe Americans like to hug more that Japanese do. I could get used to that." She sensed that I was in unfamiliar territory and backed away.  
  
"Thanks again for helping me," she said, blushing slightly because of her daringness.  
  
"No...problem...," I said, still in a bit of shock. "I'll see you around...Amber."  
  
"Goodbye, Darien," she said softly and waves with her hand. Her eyes told me that she was sorry to see me leave and feeling foolish for hugging me. "I'll have to fix that later," I said to myself. I grinned and left. As soon as I was out of eye-sight, I took off running for the arcade. It would be 4:15 when I got there. I knew Andrew would tease me until I'm ready to die. Oh well. Maybe Meatball Head would be there. 


	2. Chapter 2

Hi to all of my readers that I love so very, very much! I can't tell you how much I appreciated getting reviews for my first chapter. I thought I was going to burst from excitement. But, anyway, I forgot to add an author's note to the last chapter so I wanted to put one in here. Let me give you some background on this story. The battle with Beryl has already happened and the Scouts and Darien lost SOME of their memories. Everything is a bit fuzzy for them, but they remember the battle and their past lives. Basically the only thing they don't remember is, for the Scouts that Darien is Tuxedo Mask, and for Darien that the Scouts are Serena and the girls. Serena and Darien are still having dreams about each other from their past lives, but can't identify who the person is. I think that's all you need to know right now, but feel free to ask questions and I'll answer what I can. Oh ya, in the last chapter I originally had all of the Darien POV section in first person and decided to change it to third person because it might have been too strange switching back and forth, but most of this chapter is written in first person because I think it flows better this way. I'm sorry if that makes me a bad author or confuses anyone, but I think you'll like it better this way too. Thanks again for reading!  
  
Disclaimer: I did not last chapter, nor do I this chapter, own any of Sailor Moon. Sadly, that all belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. But Amber, David, Astrea, and all their friends and family belong to me.  
  
Recap: Darien and Amber met and when to Amber's mom's, Dr. Johnson, office at the hospital but Darien just left to meet Andrew at the Crown Center Arcade.  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
~~Amber, in first person, present tense~~  
  
"So, Amber, who was that," my mom asks me.  
  
I don't know what to tell her. He's...he's amazing. Darien Shields. I'll never forget that name. I don't know why I feel so attracted to him. It's not as if I don't know what it feels like to like a guy, but this is different. He makes my heart soar. I want to run through the streets singing simply because I've found him. Could this be love? No, no, I don't think so. Even though I'm so happy to see him, it's different than how I feel towards guys I have crushes on. It feels as if I've known him before. And I don't have the urge to kiss him, but I still want to throw myself into his arms and never let go. It's as if he completes some part of me that's always been missing. This is crazy. I've only known the boy for five minutes. But he did say to follow what my heart feels...  
  
"Amber?" I hear my mother say. Opps. I never answered her.  
  
"I don't know, Mom," I tell her as honestly as I can. I know that I can trust her; we talk about everything. "I feel something towards him, though. And I feel as if I've known him my whole life. Please say that you like him, Mom, so I can be friends with him."  
  
"He's much older than you, Amber..."  
  
"I know, Mom," I say, knowing that I can convince her. I have to convince her. I think she can see it in my eyes that I would be friends with him no matter what. "But I'm only interested in him as friends, and he's responsible enough to work in a hospital, and he can't be any more than twenty years old so that would only be a three year difference."  
  
"Okay, okay," says my Mom, laughing at my enthusiasm. "I'll talk to your father tonight, but I can't see why you two can't be friends. Of course, you know your Dad will want to meet him sometime soon."  
  
"Of course, Mom," I say now very excited. "Thank you so much." I run up and give her a hug.  
  
"Your welcome, hon," my Mom says. "Now that that's taken care of, I'm sorry to say that I have some work to do."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry Mom," I say. "I forgot all about that. What time do you think you'll be home tonight?"  
  
"Oh, probably around 5:30," she says.  
  
I look at my watch and see that it's only 4:30 now. If I hurry then I can still drop by the arcade to meet Mina and her friends. She's been telling me about them for weeks and suggested I find them at the arcade today. "Okay, Mom. That's when Dad said he'd be home too. Do you think it's okay if I go by the arcade on my way home to talk to Mina? I'll be home by 5:30."  
  
"Sure," says my Mom. "Just don't forget to feed your new cat."  
  
"I won't. I'll see you later," I say as I hug her goodbye.  
  
"All right, sweetie," she says. "I love you."  
  
"I love you, too."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
~~Darien~~ (now at the Crown Center Arcade)  
  
I ran into the arcade to find Andrew standing behind the counter. I gave him a smile that said, "I'm REALLY sorry I'm late." I sat down and then said the words out loud, "I'm really sorry that I'm so late, but I have a good reason."  
  
"Oh yeah," asks Andrew, very interested. He was never really mad in the first place, but would love some new information. He's as big a gossip as Serena's group of friends.  
  
I look around to see if the person that I don't want to hear what I'm going to say could possibly listen. I finally find her sitting in a corner booth with her four friends. Her blonde meatballs are bobbing up and down with laughter. She's far enough away that she can't hear me. "God, she's beautiful," I think to myself.  
  
I turn back to Andrew and before I can get a single word out he says, "It's a girl isn't it? You met a girl!"  
  
"Yeah," I say sheepishly, wondering if it was that obvious for everyone that saw me. "How did you know?"  
  
"It's the only thing that could possibly give you that 'I'm so happy that nothing could ruin my day' look in your eyes," he says grinning at me. He is enjoying this WAY too much. "So...," he continues, "who is she, how did you meet, what does she look like, and how in the world did she manage to get Darien Shields' attention?"  
  
"Umm...," I say wondering where to start. I'm not used to talking about girls.  
  
"Wow," Andrew says. "She must be amazing to have gotten your attention and leave you tongue-tied."  
  
He's right. I don't like going out with girls. The ones that come up to me are always so superficial and egotistic that I can't stand it. Only one...no, now two girls in my entire life have really caught my eye. Can you guess which two?  
  
"Yeah, she is," I say, trying to answer his questions. "We met in the hospital today. Actually, we ran into each other."  
  
"Is that how you meet all your girls," Andrew asks teasingly.  
  
"Only the good ones," I say. "But this girl didn't fall when we crashed; she actually has balance." I smile to myself remember the scene. "Her name is Amber Johnson. Her mother works at the hospital."  
  
"Johnson?"  
  
"Yeah," I say. "She's from America. She's only lived here for a few months, but her Japanese is amazing. She's a junior in a private high school around here somewhere. I think it's the same one that Mina over there goes to. Their uniforms look the same, and Mina is from England, right?"  
  
"Yep. That is probably where she goes then."  
  
I hear a bell ring behind me, signaling that someone has entered the arcade, but I pay no attention to it. I'm already immersed in the memory of her and nothing else matters. "She's tall, but not as tall as either of us," I keep talking to Andrew, not noticing his eyes looking behind me. "She has long brown hair with waves going through it. I'm sure that it feels like silk. And there are silver streaks here and there, almost framing her beautiful face..."  
  
"Does she have green eyes?"  
  
"Yeah," I look up at him, "actually she does. How did you know?"  
  
"She's standing behind you, Dar."  
  
My eyes get wide and my back straightens. I take a deep breath and slowly turn around on my stool. There she is. She's blushing. Great, that means she heard me talking about her. But she looks so cute with that bit of red across her face, what does it matter. "Hi, Amber."  
  
"Hello, Darien. I didn't expect to see you here."  
  
"Oh...umm...my friend Andrew works here," I say, trying to form words. Andrew has come out from behind the counter. "Amber, this is Andrew. Andrew, Amber."  
  
They shake hands, but, of course, Andrew can't just leave it at that. "I'm very pleased to meet you. We were just talking about you." Note to self: kill Andrew later.  
  
"I heard," she said quietly, blushing again.  
  
"Umm...," I say, "would you like to join us?"  
  
"Oh, I can't," says Amber. We're both disappointed. "I'm supposed to meet my friend Mina over there." She points to the table with Serena and her friends. Ha! I knew they went to the same school. "Can I take a rain check?"  
  
"Of course," I say perhaps too quickly. "Anytime you want."  
  
"Okay then," she says. "See you later...Darien."  
  
She smiles at me and waves goodbye. I melt. I swear I'm a puddle slowly dripping off of the stool. "Goodbye," I somehow manage to say.  
  
She turns to walk over to the girls' table. As soon as she's out of hearing range, Andrew busts out laughing. It takes me a moment, but I finally turn back to the counter to look at him. I'm recovering from the encounter still when he starts to talk.  
  
"So, that's the other girl," says Andrew, his laughter finally quieting.  
  
"Yeah, that's the girl," I say. I take a deep breath and look at him.  
  
"Well, you were right. She is beautiful," he says.  
  
"Yeah," I say, "and she even hugged me goodbye at the hospital. Americans must like to hug."  
  
"I've heard that before."  
  
I smile, picturing her perfect face in my mind. "You'd think that I'd want to take her into my arms and give her the kiss of her life, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Yeah," he says. "I don't know any guy who wouldn't."  
  
He looked back at her and I feel a twinge of anger at it. "Wow," I think to myself, "I can't believe that I'm being so protective. It's kinda like Andrew is with Serena. She's like another sister to him. I don't know what to make of any of this. There are just too many things running through my mind. I feels like I know her, and that she's very special to me, but there is something different. With Serena, I always want to take her out for a romantic evening and kiss her goodnight. With Amber, I feel like I just want to sit and talk, or laugh, or watch movies, or something that friends would do. This is weird."  
  
"Yes, you do," I tell in him, happy that I've kinda figured out what's going on.  
  
"Who," he asks confused.  
  
"Me."  
  
"What!?! You're telling me that after that whole scene and the way you talk about her and the way you stare at her that you aren't falling in love with her!"  
  
"Shh...keep it down or they'll here you." I send him a slight glare and he quiets down. He leans on the counter with his elbows so our conversation is only heard by the two of us. "It's really weird. I've been running it through my mind for the last hour, but I think I've finally figured it out. You see, I feel drawn to her the same way I'm drawn to Serena. I feel like I have to be with her...that if I'm not I won't be able to continue living. It's like she fills an empty space in my heart. I love her, I know it, but I don't feel like I want to take her out on a date. Just that I want to spend time with her."  
  
"Do you think that she could be the one?"  
  
"I don't know," I finally say out-loud. "I guess I'll just wait and see. In the mean time, I have to find a way to split my time between running into her and running into my Meatball Head."  
  
"That should be easy, though," my best friend says smiling at me. I'm so glad he weaseled out of me last month that I care about Serena. I would be lost without him right now if he hadn't. "Except for the fact that now they know each other and will be hanging out together. So if you run into one you now stand the chance of running into both. And that should be really interesting because you obviously have feelings for both girls, and it would be an easy mistake for Serena to make if she thought that you like Amber."  
  
"Oh...no...," the only words that could come out of my mouth as I stared blankly ahead of me. "What am I going to do? How will I handle this?"  
  
"Calm down, Dar," Andrew says. "You know you'll figure all of this out. Just give it some time."  
  
"You're right, as usual, Andrew. I had better get going. Homework."  
  
"Okay. See you tomorrow Darien."  
  
"Bye."  
  
As I walk off I take one last look at the group of girls sitting at the table in the corner. Of course, I only see two of them. I wish I could sit by Serena like that. I wish I could just enjoy a conversation with her. But at least I have a chance of that with Amber. Oh well. Maybe I'll see them tomorrow. With that, I turn and leave the arcade.  
  
* * *  
  
~~Amber~~  
  
"Hey, Amber. Over here."  
  
Mina's waving at me. I can't believe that I saw Darien here. That is so great! And he thinks that I'm beautiful, and he cares a lot about me, and...I don't know how I feel about him. But I have to put this out of my mind and talk to Mina. I hope her friends like me.  
  
"Hi Mina," I say to her. I see the bubbly blonde in math class everyday and we finally got to be friends.  
  
"Hey guys," she says, "this is Amber. Amber this is Serena Tsukino, Lita Kino, Raye Hino, and Ami Minzuno." Each girl waves as Mina says their name.  
  
"Nice to meet you Amber," they all say.  
  
"It's great to meet all of you too," I tell them.  
  
"So how do you know Darien," Serena asks almost immediately. They definitely noticed me talking to him and saw how friendly we were. And Serena even seemed a little bit jealous. I'm about to answer when she adds, "And how can you stand him?" Maybe that wasn't jealousy I heard.  
  
"Well, he's really nice," I start out. "I met him in the hospital today. He helped me find my mom's office. He's sweet...and very handsome."  
  
"Yes, definitely handsome," says Lita with a far off look in her eyes. "He reminds me of my ex-boyfriend."  
  
"Lita, every guy reminds you of your ex-boyfriend," Mina says laughing.  
  
"So?" says Lita. Mina has talked about her to me before. Even though all five girls are close friends, she and Lita are even closer. They both live by themselves in the city so they have a bit more in common.  
  
"He seems to really like you," says Ami. She winked at me too. I blush at the thought.  
  
"Yeah, I think that he does too," I start out. I'm getting a little nervous now; the girls seem to be hanging on my every word. "But I don't know...I don't know how I feel about him yet."  
  
"What do you mean," asks Raye.  
  
Raye's wearing some capries and a t-shirt, but I get the feeling that she's not an ordinary girl. She looks at me with deep violet eyes, searching for answers. She's reading me. Don't ask me how I know this. I just know when people can do things sometimes; when they have special abilities. Probably because I have some too. I decide that I can talk to her without worrying. Just because she's reading me doesn't mean she's bad.  
  
"Well, I'm attracted to him, but not like I am with other guys," I say. "It's like we're already friends...like we've known each other for years, but I only met him today. And I'm so comfortable with him. And he's so nice to me. I don't know what to make of it. I mean, I have the same kinda de ja vu feeling with another guy I know, but I am definitely attracted to that guy. I don't know what to make of any of it quite yet."  
  
"Wow," says Raye. "So it's like you're kindred spirits with Darien."  
  
"Yeah," I say. Her phrase 'kindred spirits' interests me. I'll have to ask her about that next time I get a chance. "That's a good way to put it. But how do you guys know Darien?"  
  
Everyone but Serena suddenly begins to laugh. Serena crosses her arms and goes into the pout position with her face on the table. My eyebrows furrow naturally out of confusion.  
  
"Well," starts Raye, "none of us knew him until one day when Serena did badly on a test...."  
  
Ami picks up from there since Raye is laughing too hard to talk, "She was walking to the arcade and became so angry by the bad grade that she crumpled up her test paper and threw it over her shoulder..."  
  
Lita picks up the story, "the paper hit Darien on the head..."  
  
Serena's head finally rises from her hands to finish the story. She emerges with red in her cheeks. I can't tell if she is embarrassed or angry...or maybe a bit of both?  
  
"He's been teasing me ever since. He seems to get a great deal of enjoyment from torturing me."  
  
I try my hand at some teasing, "But don't some guys flirt by teasing?"  
  
Gasps from the entire group. Then all the girls except for Serena smile.  
  
"That is true," says Mina. You can see the gears in her mind turning at the prospect of setting the two of them up.  
  
"That's impossible," says Serena. She's getting frustrated with us. "Darien doesn't feel that way about me at all. He would never flirt with me...he hates me."  
  
"Why do you think that," I ask.  
  
"He teases her constantly," says Lita for Serena. "He can be pretty harsh sometimes."  
  
"Hmmm...," I think to myself. "I'll have to see about that...at least as soon as I decide whether or not Serena is competition for me."  
  
"Maybe he'll change," is all I can think of to say out loud. I give a hopeful smile to Serena, but she looks skeptical.  
  
"He'll never change," she says to me.  
  
Then I glance up to see the clock on the wall across from us. 5:15. "Oh no," I say. "I have to get home soon."  
  
I stand to leave. Mina stands as well. "It was great to meet you all. I hope we can talk again soon."  
  
"Nice to meet you, too," they all say.  
  
I turn to give a quick hug to Mina before I leave. "See you later."  
  
Mina is still kinda stiff in the hug. I have more breaking-in to do. She says good-bye as I release her.  
  
I walk off smiling. I turn to the stool that Darien was sitting at. It's empty. I frown to myself, wishing that I could see him one last time before the day was over. I look up from the stool and Andrew meets my eyes. "Don't worry," he says to me. "He'll be back tomorrow, and at about the same time."  
  
I put on my biggest grin for him. "Thanks, I'll try to drop by. See you later, Andrew."  
  
"Bye Amber."  
  
* * *  
  
~Narrator~ The next day...  
  
"Serena, you were late to school again," Ami said as she met up with Serena, Lita and Molly for lunch. Molly was a long time friend of Serena's and was one of the few people in her life right now that wasn't involved in Sailor Scout business.  
  
"Yep, decided that breakfast was more important than an extra hour after school today so I'm back to normal."  
  
The girls all laugh together.  
  
"So, guys, have you heard the latest rumor about the Sailor Scouts," said Molly, an avid gossiper.  
  
"No...what's up, Molly," asked Lita as casually as she could.  
  
"Well, I heard that they're broken up because they haven't been seen in such a long time."  
  
The three scouts looked at each other with widened eyes and opened mouths. They tried to regain their composure and Ami thought of an answer the quickest, "That's crazy. Just because they haven't had a fight in a few weeks doesn't mean they're not together still."  
  
"Yeah," said Lita. "Maybe there just hasn't been a lot of evil activity."  
  
"The Sailor Scouts would never break up, Mol," said Serena.  
  
Molly's eyes laid on Serena's a little longer than the others. "You know, Serena, the way you talk sometimes I'd swear that you had some kind of information."  
  
Sweat beads began popping up on Serena's forehead as she struggled to find an explanation. "Me, Mol? No way. I'm just a klutzy flake. How would I ever know anything about the Sailor Scouts, let alone evil trying to take over the world?"  
  
"Yeah," Molly said slowly. "I guess you're right. Besides, it's not like you could keep that big a secret from me." She gazed into Serena's eyes, searching for something she could not see.  
  
Serena and the other planet guardians laughed nervously at Molly's last comment and then the bell rang, signaling the start of another class. "Well, gotta book it Mol. I'll see ya later." With that Serena walked as fast as she could away from the group. She hated lying to her friend, but she had no choice. Serena couldn't stand the thought of something happening to Molly because she knew that Serena was Sailor Moon. "But that doesn't mean that she has to so easily believe that I'm a natural klutz either," she thought.  
  
* * *  
  
Amber, Elise, and Ebony were eating lunch together in a crowded cafeteria. They sat by themselves at a circular table in a back corner. It was where they always sat, silently claiming their domain. All of the students did the same to their favorite seats. The three girls liked that table in particular because it allowed them to look out over the entire cafeteria. Amber liked it because it gave her an especially good view of a certain boy. David Goldman.  
  
He sat there, just a few feet away from Amber, eating his lunch and talking to his friends. He seemed like a normal boy, but there was much more to him than that. David was one of the most popular seniors in school. He, too, was from America, but somewhere on the west coast compared to Amber's home in the mid-west. He was 6 feet tall, making him only a few inches above Amber, the perfect height in her opinion. It was just enough space for him to have to come down to her for a kiss. His hair was a mix of the colors caramel and butterscotch, which fit his sweet personality (A.N.: Corny, I know, but it just fits so well here). He was one of the few popular people willing to break the social rules by talking and hanging out with anyone he pleased. It was just one of many qualities that Amber admired about him. She also enjoyed his muscular physique. He definitely worked out, but not to the point that his body was too pumped. Lastly, and Amber's favorite trait about him, were his eyes. They were brown but had golden specks decorating his irises. She felt as if she could gaze into them for ever, spending a lifetime learning every detail of them. And sometimes, she felt as if she already had spent a lifetime with him.  
  
"Are you going to ask him out today?" asked Ebony. Ebony was a beautiful girl with dark, rich skin to match her name. She said that her parents gave her that name in honor of their ethnic pride. Amber thought that was wonderful. Ebony was from France, but her mother was actually English so she spoke both languages fluently. However, she was struggling with Japanese. Even though she had been in the country for 6 months, Elise and Amber were tutoring her in the language during their study period. Ebony and Amber were both hopeless romantics, and she often was the first to comment on Amber's love life: David.  
  
"Of course not," said Amber, despairingly. "You know that I can't do that."  
  
"I don't know why you get so shy around him," Ebony said. "You're incredibly outgoing with everyone else."  
  
"I know. It's strange, but I always get nervous around him," Amber said.  
  
"But at least you'll talk to him, right," asked Elise.  
  
"Yeah," Amber said. "I do still sit next to him in art class. Hopefully he'll talk to me then."  
  
"Not to change the subject you guys, but have you heard anything about the Sailor Scouts lately," asked Elise.  
  
"No, why do you ask? You normally don't take that much of an interest in them, Elise," Amber said to her.  
  
"Well, I read in the newspaper this morning that there hasn't been any sign of them in weeks. The reporter thought that they might have broken up."  
  
"That's impossible," Ebony quickly said.  
  
"Yeah," Amber said. "The Sailor Scouts would never break up. Maybe there just haven't been a lot of attacks lately."  
  
"That's a good point," said Ebony. "I haven't heard of any attacks either."  
  
"Yes, I suppose you two are right," said Elise, reassured. "Maybe we'll hear from them soon."  
  
I'm sorry that there hasn't been much action yet, but I'm a detailed kinda person so I'm still trying to get all the important information and characters introduced to you guys. But I'm pretty sure that there will be more action in the next chapter. Thanks again for reading and please review. Tell me what you think, like and dislike. I'll take anything and answer all the questions that I can. Expect another chapter in a week, unless school gets crazy and then maybe a little longer. 


	3. Chapter 3

Hi guys! Sorry that this chapter is a week late. Last week I had two tests and some other things going on so this got put on the back burner. It might happen again next week too because I have three incredibly hard tests then. Please start praying for me now. But thanks for sticking with me and reading this. I love having readers and knowing that you all like this story, so please review. I can't tell you how much it means to me and how encouraging it is. Along with that, I'd like to say thanks to my reviewers lucy, pyroKity, xfilesoc, and Galactic Crystal. And thanks to one of my best friends Shelley whose the first to read my work and always supports me. ( Thanks Shellelley!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. ::sigh::  
  
Chapter 3:  
  
After school, Amber was enjoying the perfect day outside. Ebony and Elise both lived on the opposite side of Tokyo, so Amber always had to walk home alone. But she didn't mind. It gave her a chance to think. Today, while she did think about the clear cobalt sky and light breeze, her mind was more concentrated on day dreaming.  
  
Besides, Amber wasn't going home. She was headed to the Crown Center Arcade. Amber glanced down at her watch and saw that she was there about 15 minutes earlier than she had been yesterday. "Drat," she thought, "he's not there yet." But nearing the arcade, she decided to do something else with her afternoon.  
  
Amber heard a light jingling from a bell as she entered the arcade. Andrew glanced up from the counter and a smile came across his face. He waved and said, "Hey, Amber. How are you doing?"  
  
"I'm pretty good, Andrew. And you?"  
  
"I'm good, but the rush hasn't hit yet," he answered. Then a playful grin replaced the friendly smile. "Meeting someone today?"  
  
"Well," Amber said, smirking, "I was, but I think I'm changing my plans."  
  
Now Andrew was disappointed. He knew that Darien was hoping to see Amber again as soon as humanly possible. "So...what are you going to do instead?"  
  
"Well, I feel like I have some thinking to do, or at least some daydreaming," said Amber. "And it's such a nice day that I'm going to walk through the park."  
  
"The Crystal Pond Park?"  
  
"Yep. That's the one. I've been here for 4 months and still haven't explored all of it."  
  
"Okay. Well, do you want to leave a message for anyone," said Andrew. He was hoping not to be too obvious, but was determined to get something out of this girl for his friend.  
  
Amber giggled. "Yes, Andrew. You can tell Darien that I've gone for a walk in the park. If he wants to talk to me he can find me there."  
  
"But that park is huge Amber."  
  
She was quiet for a moment, thinking of the perfect response. A test, if you will. If he really did know her like she felt he did, he would know the answer. "He'll know where I'll be. See you later, Andrew."  
  
"Bye Amber." Now Andrew was thoroughly confused and stood with a puzzled look across his face as Amber left.  
  
Fifteen minutes quickly passed while Andrew went about his work cleaning tables and helping some kids play video games. Soon Darien had come in with an eager, excited look on his face. His stormy eyes jumped with a happiness that Andrew had never seen in his friend before.  
  
Darien found Andrew's face quickly in the crowd and went straight to him. He didn't bother trying to hide his hope of seeing Amber today. "Is she here," he asked as soon as he was in hearing distance.  
  
Andrew took a deep breath and decided not to beat around the bush. "No, sorry Dar."  
  
"Well, maybe she'll be in later."  
  
"No, she's already been here today."  
  
The smile fell from Darien's face and went spiraling to the ground. "Already been here?"  
  
"Yeah, but she did leave a message for you."  
  
"She did? What is it," said Darien, desperate for anything at this point.  
  
"Calm down. Come over and sit at the counter and I'll tell you."  
  
Darien forced himself to behave normally so that Andrew would tell him what Amber had said.  
  
"I can't believe you're going so crazy over this girl," said Andrew, in shock at the sight of Darien. "I've never seen you act like this before, not even with Serena.  
  
"I'm sorry, Andrew," said Darien, realizing he was being a little foolish. "I don't know what it is. I just want to be near Amber. I want to get to know her better. I want to know everything there is about her. It almost hurts not to talk to her. Like not seeing her breaks some sort of connection. I just don't know."  
  
"Well, maybe if you guys talk you can figure it out," said Andrew. "She said that she had been planning on staying here to meet you, but then decided that she had some daydreaming to do."  
  
Darien smiled at the last comment. "That's just like her," he thought to himself. "She's always got her head up in the clouds." A shiver ran up Darien's spine. "How did I know that about her? I've only known her for a day! What's going on?"  
  
Meanwhile, Andrew had never stopped talking and didn't notice the change in Darien's face. "She said she was going on a walk through Crystal Pond Park and that if you wanted to talk you could find her there. She said that you know where she'll be. Do you?"  
  
Darien let his head rest in his hands as he thought, "How would I know where to find her?" Finally he spoke aloud, "I don't know Andrew. I have no idea where to look first, but you know that I'm going to go look. I guess I'll just have to see where my instincts take me and hope for the best. And don't worry; I'll report all of this back later."  
  
"That's my boy," said Andrew, giving his best friend a light punch on the shoulder. "So, if a certain giggly blonde should come in do you want me to give her a message?" Andrew's favorite job in the world was playing matchmaker and Darien was always the one he was trying to help.  
  
Darien gave a grin as he stood to leave. "I don't think that'll be necessary. Serena and the girls are never in on Fridays. Talk to you later." With that, Darien strode calmly out the arcade door, the bell jingling after him.  
  
Andrew called out a good-bye before his friend was out of hearing range. Once Darien was gone, Andrew said to himself, "Darien, I don't care who you get with, but you have to get with one of these girls. If you don't open up everything to me than you need someone else, and these two girls could be just what the doctor ordered." Then the arcade guy picked up a rag and began cleaning off the counter. Just an ordinary day.  
  
* * *  
  
"Meow"  
  
"Hey there, kitty. Did you follow me all the way here?" Amber turned to find her new cat behind her. She swooped down and picked her up, cradling the small cat in her arms. Amber's new kitty had been following her around ever since she found her last week. "I'm so glad that Mom and Dad let me keep you. I should think of a name for you, though." Amber petted the cat's head and stroked her beautiful black fur. She held the purring feline up to look her in the eye and stared at the silver star on the cat's forehead. When Amber first saw her she thought that someone had painted the ornament on her head, but now Amber knew that the silver was the actual color of her fur.  
  
"We both have a little silver borne into us, don't we?" Amber kissed her head and went back to cradling her in my arms. She was the only cat Amber had ever met that purred when held like a baby.  
  
She spied an open bench close by and sat down at it. "I love this park, kitty. It's so beautiful here and there are more flowers than I could ever imagine. Everything grows so well; they must have some great gardeners. I still haven't walked through the entire park yet. There always seems to be a trail I've never been down. But I'm going to go through the whole park before I leave Japan."  
  
Amber swore her cat smiled at her then. It was almost as if she understood every word Amber said. She kept talking to the cat; who cared if she got some strange looks. She let herself talk about the subject that had really been on her mind lately. "I wish I could be like Sailor Moon."  
  
This got the cat's attention. Suddenly the feline was completely focused on everything the girl said.  
  
"I've always wanted to help save the world like the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask do. I've always felt like I was more than just an ordinary girl. I even get these feelings sometimes when something important is going to happen. And sometimes I can tell what people are thinking and know things about people- but usually only if I know them really well. Yesterday in the arcade, with Raye, was an exception. She must have some gift too; strong enough for me to notice that she has some abilities." Amber sighed. "But who am I kidding. I'm just a normal teenage girl and there is nothing I can do about it."  
  
* * *  
  
Lita was on her way to Serena's house. The girls had planned a fun afternoon of videogames, movies, and eating junk food. Lita loved all of her friends dearly and loved spending time with them, but she'd rather be anywhere else than alone in her apartment on a Friday night. She lived alone since her parents were killed a few years ago. It was then that she had started fighting in school. When she was transferred to Serena's school, the blonde had been the only person willing to speak to her. Serena had welcomed Lita into her heart even before Sailor Jupiter was known. "She's a good friend," thought Lita as she passed an entrance to Crystal Pond Park.  
  
Something interrupted her thoughts. Screams came out of the park followed by a small stampede of terrified civilians. Lita was off and running against the stream of people and into the park even before she heard someone say that a woman was shooting something at everyone. As she went deeper in to the park, where few people still were, Lita pulled out her communicator. "Scouts, come in."  
  
All of them answered immediately. Mina was already at Serena's house and Ami was walking there. Rei was still packing at the shrine. "What's up, Lita?" they all asked.  
  
Lita continued running as she spoke. "There's an attack at the park." The girls heard screams in the background. "I can't see what's happening yet, but someone said a lady was shooting something at people. Sounds like a new enemy for us."  
  
"We're on our way," said Serena. She had been trying to take more of a command since the final battle with Beryl.  
  
"I can be there in less than 2 minutes," said Ami.  
  
"I'll be less than that," said Rei.  
  
Mina and Serena signed off without giving an arrival time. Serena's house was further away from the park and they'd have to run twice as fast to catch up with everyone else.  
  
Lita looked around quickly before diving into a large thicket. "This is private enough," she said to herself. She pulled a transformation stick out of her sub-space pocket. "Jupiter Power!"  
  
Jupiter jumped out of the bushes and was upon the scene of the attack quickly: a clearing near the pond. A woman was floating high above the ground. She wore a black dress that resembled a toga from the times of ancient Greece. It was sleeveless and went down to her ankles. A golden rope acted as a belt around her slim waist and black, laced heels accentuated her ankles. Her mahogany hair was pulled back into a bun from which a few black feathers peaked out. A single ringlet of hair was let loose on either side of her face. She had a captivating and dangerous beauty about her that was obvious to anyone. Her mouth turned up into a smirk as he spotted Sailor Jupiter.  
  
The woman had been shooting ruby-shaded energy blasts at people, animals, the ground, anything. There was wreckage everywhere, but almost all of the people escaped.  
  
"Hello," she said calmly. Her voice was deep and her words vibrated in the air. "I assume you are this planet's defense."  
  
"She's not alone," called a voice Jupiter recognized as Mars.  
  
Serena and Mina had managed to catch up with the others so all of the Sailor Scouts were there. Moon, Mercury, Mars, and Venus ran up to the scene.  
  
"I am Sailor Moon, and in the name of the moon I will stop you from shooting at people," said a slightly out of breath scout.  
  
"So this is all of you, is it?" asked the man. He sighed. "Well, I'm disappointed, but if this is all I have to work with I can certainly handle it; though I would have expected the reincarnated princesses of the Silver Millennium to be better than this."  
  
The Scouts gasped. "How could she know about us?" they all thought. "Who is this lady?"  
  
* * *  
  
Darien stood outside of the arcade door for a moment. He closed his eyes and thought of Amber, asking his instincts to tell him what he didn't know. Thoughts came out of no where. Realizations surfaced as if they had always been there. "She likes to daydream. She likes nature...flowers...walking through gardens...the park," Darien thought to himself.  
  
As he strolled, care-free, to Crystal Pond Park he wondered how he could have possibly known where Amber was and how Amber knew that he would know. "These thoughts and feelings remind me of what I get after a dream about the princess." For months now, ever since he started transforming in to Tuxedo Mask, Darien had been having dreams about a princess. He could never see her face, but he knew her. He felt a stronger love to that woman than any other he could remember. She always asked him to find her...to set them both free. But he had no idea what any of it meant. Just that they were more than mere dreams.  
  
Darien finally reached the main entrance to the park. He stood still again, thinking. A feeling told him which dirt trail to take and he didn't argue. Much faster than he thought possible, Darien had stumbled upon the girl with silver in her hair. She was sitting with a cat in her lap on a bench. He could see her mouth moving, but couldn't make out the words. "She talks to her cat," he thought with a smile.  
  
Suddenly Amber stopped moving, talking, completely. Her eyes looked at nothing in front of her, as if she saw past the trees and bushes. Then, as quickly as it had started, she was back to normal. Darien saw her mouth move again. This time her eyes were different...like she was afraid. Amber stood up and stared into dense trees and bushes that were across from the bench. There was no path there.  
  
Then a scream and Amber took off through the brush. Darien followed close behind her, thinking it was another attack. "What in the world is Amber doing," he asked himself. "And was it me, or did she seem to know that the scream was going to come."  
  
Darien lost Amber in the trees but found the scene of the fight. The Scouts were already present and he wasn't about to be late. "Tuxedo Mask is coming."  
  
* * *  
  
Amber was quiet for a few moments after that. She stared at the sky, daydreaming. The cat watched her silently, enjoying the company. Suddenly, Amber stiffened. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. A chill went down her spine and she became rigid all over. Amber recognized this feeling. She stayed looking directly in front of her and held her breath. And then, Amber was back to normal. She took a few deep breaths and then looked down at the cat on her lap. Fear remained in her eyes.  
  
Amber whispered, "Something is wrong. Something is coming."  
  
She stood up, taking the cat into her arms, and looked all around her until she found the spot the feeling came from. The direction was across from her, past some trees and bushes. She waited for confirmation of what she already knew. The signal rang out for all to hear. Screams.  
  
Amber was off and running as soon as she heard them. She dashed through the trees and bushes of the park, protecting the cat in her arms from the branches. Finally, they came to a clearing next to the pond. Amber gasped at the sight. "A woman is floating mid-air and she's shooting some sort of energy blast at all the people around her," Amber though. In a matter of seconds the Sailor Scouts were on the scene. They all shot attacks at her.  
  
"Mercury Bubbles Blast!"  
  
"Mars Fire Ignite!"  
  
"Jupiter Thunder Crash!"  
  
"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"  
  
The woman easily dodged the attacks and laughed at the Scouts failures. Tuxedo Mask soon joined the fray, but his help wasn't enough. The woman fired energy blasts at the ground near the Scouts, knocking them off their feet. It was like she wasn't aiming to kill. But that didn't matter. Either way, the Scouts didn't look like they were going to win this battle.  
  
"They're going to need some help," said a small voice.  
  
Amber looked down to see her cat smiling at her. "Did you just talk?"  
  
"Yes," said the cat. "I don't have time to answer questions right now. You have to get out there and back them up."  
  
"But how can I do that? I'm no good to them," insisted Amber, for the moment ignoring the fact that a cat was actually talking to her.  
  
The cat jumped from Amber's arms and did a front-flip in mid-air. From the loop the back-flip created came a necklace. The chain was silver and long enough for the centerpiece on it to be positioned in the clef between her clavicles, directly in the center of her neck. The piece was a fairly large, clear gem in the shape of a snowflake. It sparkled and shined with a light of its own.  
  
"This is the Snow Crystal," the cat said. "Put it on and say 'Snow Crystal Power.'"  
  
"Okay." Amber didn't argue. Even if this was a dream, it was what she always wanted, to save the world. She hooked the necklace around her neck and said, "Snow Crystal Power."  
  
At once she was enveloped in a silver-white light. She kept her eyes closed, it was so bright. Amber felt her old clothing stripped away and a new set forming on her. First a white body piece that resembled her school uniform. Then a sparkling silver skirt was added. The silver was almost white at her waist and then became a deeper color as it went down. The skirt was short, going half-way down her thigh. An ice blue bow was on her lower back where the skirt met the white body part of the outfit. Thick ribbons of the same blue began at her shoulders and crossed her chest in the middle to go around to her back and make the bow. Where the ribbons crossed on her chest lay what appeared to be a larger version of the crystal on her necklace encased in a pendant of sorts. A sailor cape of sparkling silver was on her back and fell down to her waist. Sleeves of a silver sheer material extended only a few inches from her body suit and were frayed at the end. White gloves appeared on her arms. They went up to her elbows and ended with ice blue elbow pads. White boots with a silver border at the top went almost up to her knees and had a small heel. A white chocker was around her throat with a silver star in the center. Her hair had extended down to her waist and become completely silver. Last, an upside down tiara materialized on her forehead. It was silver and had three layers of intricate designs on it with an ice blue gem in the center.  
  
The light dispersed and Amber could finally open her eyes and look at herself. "Wow."  
  
"Listen to me Amber," the cat said. Amber knelt on the ground so she could hear everything the cat told her. "My name is Astrea and I am your guardian. I have a lot to tell you but there is no time now. The Sailor Scouts are in trouble." Amber turned to look at the battle as Astrea spoke. It wasn't looking good. The woman continued to fire energy balls at them and they were all getting weak from dodging constantly. Not even Tuxedo Mask was doing much good. Sailor Moon was powering up for her attack. "I think you should only be concerned with Sailor Moon for now. You don't know any attacks of your own yet and they need her if they're going to win this." As Astrea spoke the woman used another blast on Sailor Moon. It was stronger than the other blasts and she hadn't been able to avoid it. She was knocked several yards back, in to the deep end of the pond.  
  
"Astrea," I said, interrupting her. "Sailor Moon..."  
  
"I saw. Go. Save her."  
  
Amber was off in an instant. She didn't think, she just ran. She was almost to the pond's edge when she found Tuxedo Mask running beside her. "Go," Amber commanded him. "Help the others. I'll save her."  
  
Amber expected some sort of an argument from him. He didn't know her and had no reason to trust her. But he only looked in her eyes, gave a quick nod, and turned to run back to the battle scene.  
  
Amber reached the pond's edge and looked across the surface for any sign of Sailor Moon. There were no air bubbles floating to the surface. "No," she said. Amber ran into the pond as far as she could before the mud bottom was too thick. Then she took a deep breath and dove in.  
  
* * *  
  
As the Scouts continued to throw attacks they saw Tuxedo Mask run back to them empty handed. "Where's Sailor Moon?" Sailor Jupiter demanded as she ducked another blast.  
  
Tuxedo threw a rose and replied, "Another girl appeared and said that she would save Sailor Moon so I could help you guys fight."  
  
"You just deserted Sailor Moon to some stranger!" cried Sailor Mars. "When I get my hands on you-"  
  
"It's not like that Mars," explained Tuxedo. "She was wearing a costume similar to yours. I've never seen her before but I think she might be another scout."  
  
"Another scout?" said Venus. "I didn't think there were any more of us."  
  
The woman sighed loudly. "Enough. I'm feeling neglected." She sent a larger blast to the entire group, blowing them off their feet.  
  
Mercury had been scanning the woman with her minicomputer and visor but couldn't get any straight readings on her. The scout lifted her head off the ground. "Who are you?"  
  
"Hmmm," the woman said with a creepy grin. "I suppose it won't make a difference if you know my name. You my call me Athene. And if this is all your group is capable of then I've got all the information I need. You'll hear from us again soon. Goodbye."  
  
The Scouts and Tuxedo watched as Athene disappeared in a cloud of swirling black feathers.  
  
* * *  
  
The water was murky and thick. She could barely see through all silt and dirt. She saw nothing at first and went to the surface for another breath, then dived again. Amber moved her arms around the water to feel what her eyes were blind to. Finally her hand caught something silky soft. "Hair," she thought. Amber followed the long trail of hair to an unconscious Sailor Moon. She put her left arm around Sailor Moon's waist and kicked to the surface as fast as she could.  
  
Now she was running on adrenaline. Amber had no trouble pulling Sailor Moon to the shore. She laid the superhero down when the land was flat enough and checked to see if Sailor Moon was breathing. Amber got a faint pulse, but no breath. Her mind screamed with fear. "What if I can't save her? What if she doesn't start breathing? What should I do?" she thought.  
  
And then, as if God himself had reached down and smacked Amber in the head, she realized that she knew CPR. Her mom retaught her every year. Amber gently tilted back Sailor Moon's head and pinched her nose closed. She took a deep breath in and then gave the air to Sailor Moon, watching out of the corner of her eye to see Sailor Moon's chest rise. She did this two more times and then checked the breathing and pulse again. Pulse was a bit stronger, but she still wasn't breathing on her own. Amber breathed for her two more times. Miraculously, Sailor Moon began coughing. Amber rolled her on to her side to help clear the airway. Water came pouring out of Sailor Moon's lungs. Once she began to take larger breaths by herself, Amber sat her up.  
  
Sailor Moon's hand was on her chest, as if she could control her lungs by holding her hand there. Her entire weight was being supported. Slowly, Sailor Moon began to open her eyes. She had trouble focusing and blinked a few times. Finally, the face of a silver-haired girl came into view. The girl was saying to her but an echoing ring sounding through Sailor Moon's ears kept her from hearing for a few moments. She heard, "Sailor Moon, can you hear me? Can you understand me?"  
  
The feeling was returning to Sailor Moon's body and suddenly she was very dizzy. She tilted her head down as she answered. "Yes, I can hear you. What...happened? The last thing I remember is powering up my tiara."  
  
"That's right," said Amber. "You, the Scouts, and Tuxedo Mask were fighting a woman and you were getting read to throw your tiara, but she hit you with an energy blast. You were knocked out by it and thrown in to the pond. I dove in and pulled you out, but you weren't breathing so I had to give you mouth-to-mouth."  
  
"What about the lady?" Are they still fighting?"  
  
Amber looked to where the battle was going on. Tuxedo Mask looked fine. Venus and Mercury were helping Jupiter and Mars stand up. No one looked seriously hurt. The woman was no where to be found. "The battle is over. It looks like the woman won. The Scouts will be over here in a minute."  
  
Sailor Moon started to stand up but Amber held her down. "No, you're too weak to be standing on your own right now. They can come to you."  
  
The Scouts were quickly at Sailor Moon's side. They crowded around her and pushed Amber out of the way. As she stood off to the side, Amber felt someone watching her. She slowly turned to her left and saw Tuxedo Mask starting at her. She felt as if he would burn a hole through her with his eyes.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked sternly, demanding an answer.  
  
Amber honestly didn't know how to answer his question. She had been wondering who she was, too. She thought for a moment and tried to look as confident as he did. "I'm a friend; an ally."  
  
The masked mad tilted his head a bit and raised an eyebrow. "Fine, for now. Next time I see you I expect some answers."  
  
Amber gave a short nod and Tuxedo Mask jumped off into the night. "Well," thought Amber, "he isn't nearly as charming as I thought he would be."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
Amber was bombarded by questions from the Scouts as Venus, Mars, and Jupiter surrounded her. Mercury stayed on the ground with Moon and stopped the interrogation by saying, "Hey guys, don't you think we should be thanking her for saving Sailor Moon's life?"  
  
"Yes," said Moon. "Thanks for saving me."  
  
That shut the others up fairly quickly. "We're sorry," said Venus. "Thanks for saving her. We just get worried when someone new appears."  
  
"It's okay," said Amber. "I can understand why you're concerned, but I'm on your side. I'm here to help you fight." She smiled at the others, trying to get them to trust her.  
  
"I don't feel anything evil coming from her," thought Sailor Mars. "Actually, there's something familiar there."  
  
"Well...you seem to be on our side since you saved Sailor Moon," said Jupiter. "But who sent you here and who are you?"  
  
"Ummm...," said Amber, looking at all the girls.  
  
A small voice came from no where. "I believe I can answer that."  
  
The group turned to find a black cat walking toward them. "Astrea," Amber said, "thank goodness. I have some questions for you."  
  
"Girls, if Luna and Artemis are here, then could you please have them come out," said Astrea.  
  
The Scouts were still staring, shocked at another talking cat, but Sailor Moon called out to the guardians. "Luna, Artemis, you can stop hiding. And there's someone here who wants to see you."  
  
Two cats strolled out from behind some bushes. Astrea smiled and got close to them so they could speak softly for a few moments. "It's great to see you two again. It's been so long."  
  
The moon cats looked at each other and then back to the black cat. "Who are you?" Artemis finally asked.  
  
Astrea's jaw dropped as far as a cat's jaw can. "You don't remember me? We used to be friends a long time ago; before all of this stuff on Earth started."  
  
"I'm sorry," said Luna. "Our memories are damaged from being in suspended animation for so long. We weren't reborn like the others. I'm sure that it will start coming back to us soon."  
  
"Okay," said Astrea, slightly unsure of herself. "Then please be careful of what you say. My charge doesn't have any idea that she's been reborn yet and I want her to learn all of these things slowly."  
  
"Of course," said Artemis.  
  
"We'll tell the girls to watch what they say," said Luna.  
  
"Thanks," said Astrea and the cats rejoined the group.  
  
"My name is Astrea and this," she nodded her head at Amber, "is Silver Star. I belong to her just like Luna belongs to Sailor Moon. She's not a member of your Scout team, but comes from outside the group. She has a similar background to yours and will help you whenever she can."  
  
What planet does she represent?" asked Mars.  
  
"Planet," Amber thought. "I represent a planet? Is that where they get their powers from?"  
  
"She does not represent a planet," said Astrea. "She actually is a protector of the universe. It's hard to explain, but Silver Star is very strong. The source of her power can overtake anything I've ever encountered, including the Imperium Silver Crystal."  
  
The Scouts gasped. Amber was lost. "Silver Crystal? What is that? What's going on? Silver Star...star...how do I know that symbol? What does it mean?" she thought.  
  
"You're wrong," said Jupiter. "Nothing is stronger than the Silver Crystal."  
  
Sailor Moon was looking at the Silver Crystal inside of her locket, wondering if all this was true. If what she had always remembered about her family's power was a lie.  
  
"I know it sounds wrong to you now, but it is true," said Astrea. "I would never joke about something that strong. I promise I will explain all of this to you in the near future, but I want to discuss everything will Silver Star first."  
  
"You haven't talked yet. Are you okay," asked Venus to Silver Star.  
  
The girl raised her confused head at the sound of her new name. "Yes, Sailor Venus. I'll be okay. I just need to get all of this straight in my head. I haven't talked before now because the first time I was told about any of this was right before the battle began."  
  
The girls smiled. "We know how you feel," said Mercury. "That's what happened to all of us too. Give it some time and it will start to make sense."  
  
"Why don't we meet tomorrow and discuss everything then?" suggested Artemis.  
  
"You mean, without our disguises on?" asked Mars.  
  
Silver Star knew without a doubt that she already trusted the girls. They even felt familiar. "I would be willing to meet as normal people," she said.  
  
The Scouts looked to Luna and Artemis who provided no answer. They turned to Sailor Moon. Moon thought for a moment, looking straight at Silver Star to get feelings from her. The others would trust her good judgment of people. "Okay. I trust you and we know you trust us. We will meet you as normal people." Everyone nodded in agreement.  
  
"Good," said Luna. "Everyone meet at the Cherry Hill Temple at 3:00 tomorrow."  
  
The girls went home for the night. As Silver Star and Astrea neared their house, Silver Star asked, "Hey, Astrea. How do I de-transform? It's kinda chilly in this skirt."  
  
Hope everyone liked this chapter. Please read and review. 


	4. The First Dream

Hi gang. I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get this chapter out and that it's shorter. But school has been crazy the last few weeks and I was sick for a little while. I'll get the chapters out as soon as I can but they will probably be spaced out a bit more than they were at first. Thanks for all your support though, the reviews have been great. I do want to address a few concerns that people have expressed. First of all, don't worry people. I am a big fan of Serena/Darien and that's what this story is going to be. I'm glad that you guys thought it would be an Amber/Darien fic though because I was trying to trick you. ( Hopefully this chapter will put your minds at ease a bit, but if it doesn't there will be more to come. Second thing, I've noticed lately that there are some people out there that don't like it when SM fanfics aren't centered on one of the SM characters. I'll let you know right now that this fic will be centered mostly on Amber, Darien, Serena, and maybe another character that you guys don't know very well yet. I'm sorry, but these are the heads that I get into the best so they're who I'm using. And last, some people don't like that I'm making a character more powerful than Sailor Moon. I'm sorry. Sailor Moon and her Silver Crystal are of the most powerful in the universe, but it just doesn't make sense to me that no one would be stronger than a line of royalty of a single moon of one galaxy. But if it makes you feel any better, Sailor Moon will probably be the next step down from Amber's character.  
  
I hope that you readers stick with me because I love having you all. And please review after you're done reading because all support helps.  
  
Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own Sailor Moon, but I do own Amber, Astrea, and all the other characters you've never heard of before. (  
  
Chapter 4:  
  
Astrea tried not to laugh and explained how to concentrate and power down without using any words. "Why do I need words to transform but not to de- transform?"  
  
"Because dissipating power is much easier to control than gathering power. Someday you might be able to transform without words, but it will take practice and strength."  
  
"What about my attacks?" asked Amber as they walked. "Do you know what they are and how to use them? Are you going to show me tomorrow?"  
  
"I don't know exactly what your attack phrases are," said Astrea, "but I know what your abilities should be."  
  
They arrived home and Amber hurried past her parents up to her room. They continued the conversation there in private.  
  
"My abilities? What are they? Do I have them already?" asked Amber excitedly.  
  
"You have some of them already and the Snow Crystal will heighten them," said Astrea. "The crystal isn't the source of your power but acts as a channel that can also strengthen them. Only you and the women of your bloodline can use the crystal. As for your abilities, I've already seen some of them in you. Look in to yourself and you'll see them too."  
  
Amber looked at Astrea as if she had grown a second head. "Look in to myself and I'll find them," she said doubtfully.  
  
"Trust me and trust yourself. Now, close your eyes and concentrate."  
  
Amber took a deep breath and shut her eyes. Something deep inside of her mind and heart began to stir. A knowledge rose within her. As she said the word a breeze came from no where and went through her hair. "Wind."  
  
"Yes, yes," said Astrea, thrilled for the girl. "Wind will always be around you and in you. The element is a part of you and nothing but God himself can break that bond."  
  
Amber continued searching. "And something about my mind...I know things...before they happen sometimes. Like earlier today. And sometimes I can hear people...when they don't say anything I can still hear them talk."  
  
"Yes, psychic powers are part of you, but they're very underdeveloped right now," said Astrea. "As you get a feel for you powers and use them more often they will grow. You will begin to know when the city is going to be attacked and where. You'll sense when the people you love are in trouble. And if you're really close to someone you'll be able to exchange thoughts with them."  
  
"Is all this how you knew I was supposed to be Silver Star?" asked Amber.  
  
"Yes, it had a great deal to do with it," said Astrea.  
  
"Why am I her? Why was I chosen?" asked Amber.  
  
"It is your destiny; your fate. Since before you were born it was known that you would be the protector of the universe and you would inherit the abilities necessary to do that job." Astrea worded everything carefully in her mind before she said them. She couldn't give away too much too soon.  
  
"You know more that you aren't telling me," said Amber. "I can tell."  
  
"You are correct," said Astrea. "But I can't reveal everything to you now. It's true that I know more of your history and what your role in everything is, but if I were to tell you everything now your mind would never accept it. You'd be sent in to a coma from the shock of it all. But I promise that you will understand more and know more everyday and I will fill in the gaps when I can. You life won't be a mystery for very long. Until everything is clear, have faith in what you already know. You told me a few hours ago that you felt like you were meant to protect the world with the Sailor Scouts. Even before you knew that it was your duty something inside of you realized that it was your destiny. Never forget that."  
  
Amber opened her mouth to respond when she heard a phone ring.  
  
A phone rang in the Johnson household and Amber's father was the first to reach it. "Konnichi wa," he said.  
  
"Konnichi wa," said a deep, masculine voice. "Can I speak to Amber, please?"  
  
"Sure, may I ask who's calling?"  
  
"Chiba Darien."  
  
"Darien, hello! I've heard so much about you from my wife and daughter. How are you today?"  
  
"I'm well, Mr. Johnson. And you?"  
  
"I'm fine. Hey, are you busy tomorrow night?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"Would you like to come over here for dinner? I'd love to get to know you."  
  
"Ummm...that would be great. I'd love a good home cooked meal."  
  
"Great. I'll get Amber for you now."  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Johnson."  
  
"No problem."  
  
Amber's father called up to her, "Amber, Darien's on the phone for you."  
  
"Darien?!?" Amber cried out, shocked and amazed. Then the expected events for today came back to her. "Oh yeah. I was supposed to meet him."  
  
She found the phone in her room. "Hi Darien!"  
  
"Hi Amber!"  
  
"Sorry I didn't see you today. I felt like going for a walk. I guess I should have just told Andrew where I'd be."  
  
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. You see, I did find you. I followed the way I thought was right and it led me straight to you. How did you know that I'd find you?"  
  
Amber tried to find an answer. She looked at Astrea as she spoke. "I'm not sure. I just knew that you would know. I feel like we already know each other, so I decided to test the ideas that are running around inside of me by not giving Andrew a location. I didn't see you so I thought it hadn't worked. But you found me?"  
  
"Yeah. I saw you sitting on a bench with your cat. Then you looked off suddenly, got up, and ran away. I tried to follow but I lost you in the trees and then that monster attacked. You didn't get caught in it, did you?"  
  
Amber smiled because Darien was worried about her. But she couldn't even hint at what happened and she knew it. She did her best not to lie. "No, I didn't get hurt. Did you?"  
  
Darien also chose his words carefully. "Not a scratch on me."  
  
There was a short silence when both people didn't know what to say next. "Well, that's all I called about, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow night," Darien said.  
  
"Tomorrow night?"  
  
"Yeah, your father invited me over for dinner," said Darien.  
  
"Oh, okay," said Amber. "That's great. I'll see you tomorrow then."  
  
"Goodnight Amber."  
  
"Goodnight Darien."  
  
After she had hung up, Astrea asked, "Who's Darien?"  
  
"He's an intern that Mom knows from the hospital. I met him yesterday when I got lost trying to find Mom's new office. There's something different about him, Astea."  
  
"So I gathered from your side of the conversation," the cat responded.  
  
"There's just something very familiar about him. I feel like I already know him and he knows me. I already care a lot about him."  
  
"Hmmm, I don't know why he's so special to you, but you should keep track of your feelings for him. They may turn out to mean something," said Astrea with a look in her eyes that told Amber not to ask any questions.  
  
Amber sighed. "Okay. Well, I'm heading to bed. I'm exhausted."  
  
She quickly changed into pajamas and said good night to her parents. "Goodnight Astrea," she said, crawling into bed.  
  
"Goodnight Amber." The girl was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Astrea jumped onto her bed and curled up next to her feet. "Sweet dreams Princess."  
  
***Dream*** Amber's point of view  
  
I'm in a field. A meadow, full of red roses and daises. Thorns don't hurt my bare feet. I'm a child. A breeze flows in and catches my hair. It's long and completely silver. It sparkles. I say hello to the wind as it swirls around me. I always talk to the wind. We're friends. The sun is shining but not so brightly that I must shield my eyes. There's a tree in the distance. A huge tree with branches stretching out so high they touch the heavens.  
  
There's something hanging from the tree. Even though it's far away I know what it is: a swing. I run to it and jump on the seat. I start pumping my legs back and forth but I'm too little to get any height. I feel hands land on my back and give me a push. I giggle with the joy of swinging and the knowledge that he is behind me. I turn my head and see him standing there laughing with me. He's just a boy, but older and taller than me. He's got crow-black hair and eyes the color of midnight sky. I can't really see anything else about him. I trust him completely. I know him. And I love him. We play like that, on the swing, for hours. And it feels like this is my life, my home.  
  
Two people come toward us over the horizon. A man and a woman. The man has hair and eyes just like the boy and the woman has a mane of silver hair like mine that reaches well past her waist. They are both dressed elegantly. They beckon us to come to them. The boy waves and runs to join them. I stay on the swing. I'm confused. The boy and I look so much like them, like they're our parents. But how can that be possible? I want to be with them, but some part of me holds back. They can't be my parents. I shake my head in confusion. As I refuse to believe the thought running through my mind, that these people are my family, the image begins to get fuzzy. The people fade. I cry out, "Please, don't leave me. I don't want to go. Please!"  
  
***End Dream***  
  
Astrea opens her sleepy eyes at the sound of Amber's voice. She's whimpering, "Please...please..."  
  
Astrea looks at the clock and reads 11:00AM. "It's almost lunch time," she says. "I'll go ahead and wake Amber up since her dream doesn't seem to be much fun anyway."  
  
The cat walked up to Amber's face. The girl was tossing her head about, like she was trying to shake something away. Astrea softly called her name and pushed her head against Amber's. "Amber, wake up. The morning's almost over."  
  
Amber's eyes snapped over. They had a glaze over them from the dream. She blinked a few times until she recognized her surroundings. "Oh, Astrea, I just had the strangest dream."  
  
"Yes, I heard you talking. Tell, me, what did you dream about? Sometimes answers can lie hidden in dreams." The cat again hinted at knowledge Amber did not possess and the girl made a note of it and then described the dream to Astrea.  
"Do you know what it means, Astrea?"  
  
Astrea stayed silent for a few moments. She thought to herself, "She's remembering much faster than we thought she would. I wonder if the other girls had dreams this soon after their first transformation. I'll have to ask Luna and Artemis about that later. But I guess that since she does have mental abilities this is to be expected. I can't tell her about everything yet. She must discover more on her own."  
  
Amber waited patiently for an answer and Astrea delivered, "I'm sure that your dream means something and sooner than we think it will make sense. Try to remember as many details from this dream and others you will have as you can. They could be important later. Now then, it's almost noon, so I suggest that you get dressed and downstairs before you completely miss breakfast."  
  
Amber didn't think she would have much trouble remembering the dream. It was vivid and the details still stuck out in her mind. She decided to let Astrea off the hook and wait for information as it would come. "Okay, I'll throw on some clothes and head downstairs. Yummm, I can smell the bacon already."  
  
Thanks people! See you next chapter! 


	5. A Meeting and New Power

Hey readers! Thanks so much for sticking with me even though it's taken so long to get this chapter out. But finally school ended so I should have a lot more time to work on this story as well as my original story on www.fictionpress.com (under the same pen name). Anyway, this chapter hasn't been beta checked yet so some adjustments will probably be made later and I'm sorry for any bad grammar or punctuation errors. But some interesting discoveries will be made her and Amber will get to test her powers some. Hope you enjoy!  
  
Thanks for reviewing pyrokitty!  
  
I do not own Sailor Moon, but Amber, Astrea, and any other new characters are mine.  
  
Chapter 5:  
  
Astrea had already gone down to the kitchen leaving Amber alone to dress. As she pulled on a light t-shirt and genes, something in the mirror caught her eye. Amber blinked...and blinked again. Without doubt, there was a silver star in the center of Amber's forehead. She rubbed it at first with only her hand and then using a wet wash cloth and soap. Nothing would remove the mark and her skin was becoming raw.  
  
"I give up," Amber said. "You can stay, at least for now. But no one else should see you. Mom and Dad would freak if they thought I'd gotten a tattoo."  
  
She broke out the make-up bag and covered the star as best she could with foundation and powder. The outline of the star still came through, but it was as much as make-up could do without adding another layer to her skin. She sighed and ran down stairs to catch breakfast.  
  
Amber was seated at the kitchen table with her parents. Their plates were full of eggs, bacon, and toast. The girl with silver in her hair picked at the food; her mind still on thoughts of yesterday and the meeting today.  
  
"Is anything wrong, sweetheart," asked Andrea.  
  
Amber had always enjoyed the open relationship with her parents. She never held anything back from them. They knew that she was different, with her abilities to sometimes sense danger and hear people's thoughts. Amber kept them up to date on anything new that happened to her. She made a decision not to keep them out of the loop now. She'd just have to omit a few details.  
  
"Well, Mom, Dad, something happened at the park yesterday. Did you hear about the monster attack?"  
  
They both nodded yes, concern for where this was going shown obviously on their faces.  
  
"I was there when it happened. But I knew that it would happen before it started. I even knew where. It's never been that exact before," she said, referring to her growing gifts. "But I think that this is a good thing. I'll be able to warn people and get them away so they won't be hurt."  
  
Her parents were quiet for a moment, mulling over this new development.  
  
Her father, Luke, began, "It is strange that this is suddenly possible, but you've never been in an attack before. I agree with you. This is another blessing from God and I know that you'll do great things with it."  
  
Amber beamed in her father's encouragement.  
  
Andrea continued, "Yes, but you promise to be careful? I don't want you getting hurt too."  
  
"Of course, Mom. I'll be very careful." Amber felt wrong for keeping everything else a secret, but knew that telling them could only put them in danger.  
  
2:30 quickly came and Amber was off to the Cherry Hill Temple. She wore a backpack with Astrea inside so it would be less obvious for them to talk. Astrea's head stuck out of the zipper and watched the scenery as the strolled leisurely down the sidewalk. Soon they arrived at the steep stairs leading to the temple. Once at the top, there were few people around. In the distance, Amber saw a girl with long, raven hair sweeping. Two crows circled the sky as Amber neared the girl.  
  
With a small gasp Amber realized who it was. "Astrea, that's Rei, one of Mina's friends that I met yesterday before the attack."  
  
Rei noticed the movement in front of her and called out, "Hi Amber! What brings you here?"  
  
"I'm supposed to meet some friends soon."  
  
"Really? The girls are supposed to meet me here any minute. Maybe we can talk for a little while," said the priestess while leaning her broom against the building.  
  
A chain reaction was set off through Amber's mind: "Rei is meeting the girls here? Five girls? Rei has long dark hair and does fire readings, just like Mars. Serena has the same hair style as Moon. They all look like the scouts. Why is this so obvious to me?"  
  
Amber shook her head a little and when she looked at Rei again her memory cleared some, as if some spell had been lifted, and suddenly it was clear that she was fighting along side her friends yesterday. She smiled and decided to help Rei have the same realization.  
  
After checking to see that no one else was around, Amber said, "I think that we're attending the same meeting today Rei."  
  
The priestess was confused. "No, I don't think so Amber."  
  
"Rei, it's me," Amber said while picking out a strand of silver hair and twirling it around a finger.  
  
Rei quickly got the hint and drew in a breath. "Amber?"  
  
As a final proof, Amber set down the backpack so Astrea could come out. They both walked to Rei and Amber whispered, "Hi Mars."  
  
"How...how did you know?" stammered Rei.  
  
"I don't know. I saw you and thought about how we're both meeting a group of girls here and scouts look an awful lot like you guys. And I realized that both you and Mars are connected to fire. Then it was like a spell wore off and I knew it was you."  
  
"Oh man, it took nothing for you to see through the spell that keeps our identities hidden. But I think it might have been easy for you because you are one of us. You have the spell too you know."  
  
"Really? Cool," said Amber. Both girls laughed and Astrea shook her head.  
  
"Excuse me, Rei, but perhaps we should move to a more private place," said Astrea.  
  
Rei didn't even blink at a talking cat anymore. Without missing a beat she said, "Of course. Follow me."  
  
As she began to lead them inside a voice yell, "Wow Serena, you're not late!" Another followed, "Why does everyone always think that I'm late to everything?"  
  
Rei laughed and yelled back, "Because you are!"  
  
Serena, Amy, Lita and Mina all came over the stairs; Serena a little more disgruntled then the rest. But they all perked up at the sight of Amber.  
  
"Hi guys!" said the silver-streaked girl.  
  
"Hi Amber," they all returned.  
  
"What are you doing here?" asked Lita.  
  
"I'm meeting you, of course, just as we agreed." Amber and Rei looked at each other and smiled.  
  
"We were supposed to meet? I'm sorry Amber, I guess I forgot and double-booked," said Mina.  
  
"You didn't forget, Mina. We are supposed to meet with her," said Rei.  
  
All of the girls but Serena remained confused. The blonde with two ponytails went up for a closer inspection of Amber. At first Serena looked into her eyes and then seemed to stare at the spot above them. As sudden recognition spread across the girl's face Serena smiled. "Hello Silver Star."  
  
Amber's mouth fell open before she could control it. Quickly, she switched to a smile and replied, "Thank you, Sailor Moon."  
  
Behind them, Mina, Lita, and Ami looked at them and then each other before shrugging their shoulders and deciding to just accept it. They walked forward to say hello and Rei suggested that they move inside.  
  
Luna and Artemis came in behind the girls and caught up with Astrea. They guardians greeted each other and Luna discreetly told Astrea, "We spoke to the girls and explained to them not to discuss their past lives."  
  
"Thank you, Luna. And please do not worry, you two. I believe that answers will come to Amber soon. She already started having dreams."  
  
"Dreams? After only one transformation?" asked Artemis, astounded.  
  
"Yes. And she has some inkling of her powers. Apparently they have made themselves known even without her crystal present."  
  
"You're joking? Not even Serena showed signs of understanding her powers so early," said Luna.  
  
"You'll see shortly. I'm sure that her abilities will be discussed here and maybe even tested," said Astrea.  
  
"I hope so. It would be great to see what she can do," said Artemis.  
  
The felines hurried inside to take part in the meeting.  
  
The girls were sitting in a circle on the floor talking in excited tones.  
  
"It's so great that you're the new scout, Amber," said Mina.  
  
"Yeah, that means we won't have to keep our secret from more friends," added Lita.  
  
"Yes," agreed Amber, "it is a great relief to have you all be the Sailor Scouts. And it's awesome! I can hardly believe all of this."  
  
"Yeah, it's really incredible for a while. That is, until you really have to start fighting and you almost get killed," said Rei, not sarcastic for once.  
  
Her words caused the group to become serious. The scouts all looked down, confusing memories floating through their eyes. Amber watched as the girls she was becoming such good friends with turned inward. Trying to draw them back out, she asked, "Have you guys been fighting for long?"  
  
Surprisingly, Serena was the first to come back. "Mina fought crime in England for a while before coming here. I was the first to be awakened in Japan; that was over a month ago. But it feels like so much longer. We've been fighting since our first transformation with few breaks. The Negaverse, where our enemies came from, rarely rested."  
  
"But those enemies are gone now?" asked Amber.  
  
Serena looked at her scouts to see if any of them could speak. Ami raised her head, "Yes. We slowly defeated Beryl, the queen of the Negaverse, her four generals, and all the monsters they sent after us."  
  
Lita picked up, "And the last battle against her finished just last week. We got a few days of freedom. Of not even knowing that such horrible things existed and we were meant to fight them."  
  
Amber watched Serena as the last words were spoken and saw something flash across her eyes. A single through resonated from her to Amber's mind: "I knew." Amber wanted to ask Serena about it, but knew from her silence that she would have to wait. Instead she moved her questions in a different direction. "What do you mean, you were free?"  
  
"All of us but Serena died in the last battle against Beryl," said Mina. "She had to fight her alone with out powers as support, but none of us remember exactly what happened then or a little before had. After the battle ended, Serena remembers using the Silver Crystal to wish that we all had a normal life again. Apparently, in wishing that she took away all the memories we had regained about our lives as Sailor Scouts. We're only slowly getting them back now."  
  
"So maybe you don't have answers for my questions," said Amber, disappointed.  
  
"What questions?" asked Lita, hesitantly.  
  
"Why are we the chosen ones? Who exactly are we? Do you guys get dreams too? What do the dreams mean?"  
  
Rei spoke up. "We can't answer everything. But I can tell you that we are the princess of our respective planets and the white moon. We receive our powers from the places we represent. We were meant to hold these positions and protect the Earth, the only living planet right now. We get dreams too sometimes and they always tell us something important about ourselves and our powers."  
  
Amber was quiet for a moment before realizing what was going on. "Astrea told you guys not to tell me everything because I'm supposed to find out on my own, right?  
  
"Yeah, sorry Amber," said Mina.  
  
"It will get easier," said Serena. "And since you've already had a dream it won't take you long to figure out most things."  
  
The others gave Serena a strange look but said nothing. The usually bubbly girl was strangely pensive as she sat in the circle. She would not make eye contact with any of them, but after a few moments chose to change the subject. "Well, Amber, any ideas on what your powers are?"  
  
"Well, I have some mental abilities that have been a lot more active in the last couple of days?"  
  
"Mental powers, huh? That's cool. Rei has some too," said Mina.  
  
"I can sense impending danger and evil, and I can read fires," said Rei nonchalantly.  
  
"I can kinda do that," started Amber. "Like yesterday, right before that man came here; I knew that an attack was going to happen. I can't explain how I knew, but something inside me said that bad things were about to happen and I even knew where. But even before that happened yesterday I was able to feel danger when it involved my parents or really close friends." Amber looked to Serena. "And sometimes I can ever hear people's thoughts. Usually it's just general thoughts and feelings, but sometimes I hear the exact words." The girls gasped.  
  
"Incredible. You are actually telepathic," said Ami. Immediately she pulled her mini computer out of her subspace pocket and began typing.  
  
"Only slightly telepathic so far," said Astrea. "But her abilities should heighten soon with practice."  
  
"Awesome," said Lita.  
  
"Wicked cool," said Serena with slightly less enthusiasm, which went unnoticed by everyone.  
  
"What else?" asked Rei.  
  
"Wind," said Amber. "Astrea says that wind is a part of me; connected to me. And it's always around me anyway, playing with my hair and what not. I'm really excited to explore that."  
  
"That sounds like a good idea," said Luna. "Why don't we go train for a little while and see what Amber can do?"  
  
"Great idea, Luna," said Serena. "Let's head out girls."  
  
"Since when do you want to train?" asked Rei.  
  
The other scouts looked at Serena with equal disbelief.  
  
Serena looked around, frustration flashing through her eyes. "I just want to today. Being prepared is a good thing. Now come on."  
  
Not wanting to argue further, everyone rose and followed Serena out the door and back into the woods behind Rei's temple. As the girls walked, Serena let herself fall back and soon paired up with Amber.  
  
"When you're guardian said that you were more powerful than me last night I didn't believe it. I believe it now," said Serena. Just as Amber was about to question this, Serena lowered her voice to a whisper and said, "I can see star symbol on your forehead."  
  
Amber gasped and glanced about to see if anyone else was listening. "But how? No one else seems to see it."  
  
"Promise to keep this a secret?"  
  
Amber nodded.  
  
"I think that it has something to do with the power that we both hold, or how high ranking we are or something. I am the princess of the moon, but in this galaxy I'm the strongest." She spoke with a reluctance that Amber couldn't understand yet. "And now you are the strongest, or at least you will be soon. They only see a crescent moon on my forehead when I'm in my princess form but I've seen it since the morning after my first transformation. I knew then that I was more then just a Sailor Scouts. I started having the dreams right away too. That's why I know that you'll understand more soon enough."  
  
"Why don't you tell them about all this?" Amber asked.  
  
Serena sighed. "When I first learned about all of this I was completely overwhelmed. I wasn't ready and didn't want anyone to know what I did, that I was the moon princess they searched for. So I hid in every way I knew how. I'm sure that will become more obvious to you as time passes. To them I'm just a dumb blonde and that is the way they accept me. I am not going to change so please don't hint at any of this; not even to Astrea."  
  
"Okay, I promise," said Amber halfheartedly.  
  
"Now then, let me tell you quickly how to hide the symbol. It's better if it's kept hidden since our enemies might be able to track it at some point."  
  
"Okay, that sounds good."  
  
"Great," said Serena. "We're nearing the clearing so this will have to be quick." She stopped their walking and turned to Amber. After closing her eyes for a moment, a yellow crescent moon glowed on her forehead.  
  
"How did you do that?" Amber was amazed.  
  
Serena grinned knowingly. "I have a few mental abilities of my own. Hiding it is just a matter of concentration. Close your eyes and see yourself with the star. Now cover the star with a thin sheet. The star is still there but unseen." The blonde watched as Amber followed her directions and the star suddenly disappeared. "All gone."  
  
"Wow, how long does it last?" asked Amber.  
  
"I'm not really sure. Just think about it a few times a day and reinforce the shield. I've never had a problem with it. And before you ask, I just imagined that the moon was gone one day and it worked."  
  
"Hey Serena, Amber! What are you guys doing back there?" called Mina.  
  
The group was up ahead in the clearing already and they had transformed.  
  
"Just some girl talk," replied Serena. "We're coming."  
  
With the utterance of a few words, "Moon Crystal Power! Snow Crystal Power!" the team was ready to practice.  
  
Luna organized them. "Scouts, why don't you all work out over there. Moon, work on dodging with Mars. Mercury, practice hand-to-hand combat with Jupiter and Venus. Astrea, Artemis and I will help Silver Star find her first attack."  
  
As the group separated, Venus turned back, "Have fun!"  
  
"So, Silver Star, what do you feel like trying first?" asked Artemis.  
  
"I definitely want to see what wind can do," said Silver Star with both excitement and nervousness obvious.  
  
"Okay, then do what you feel is right," instructed Astrea.  
  
"Say whatever words come to you, since the attacks usually have a phrase that goes with them," suggested Luna.  
  
"And when you're ready try focusing the attack on an object," said Artemis.  
  
Silver Star nodded, absorbing all of their good advice. She closed her eyes and wondered what to do. She let her thoughts take her where she needed to be. In her mind, she spoke, "Wind, I think you can hear me when I speak to you like this. I know I've never called on you before, but they say that you're a part of me; that we're connected. They say that you can help me fight all of the bad creatures that attack. If you're connected to me then you must know me through and through. I can't pray to you, because I can only pray to God, but please help me. Please come to me know so I can train and now how to call upon you properly later."  
  
Silver Star felt a breeze rise around her. It almost spoke to her, trying to say that it was there and wanted to help.  
  
The guardians watched as some light wind wrapped around the girl. A smile spread across her face and she mouthed, "Thank you."  
  
"Now then," Silver Star thought, "who am I going to try this out on? It will have to be small..." As she opened her eyes they fell upon Astrea and a large grin came across her face.  
  
"What's she going to do?" asked Artemis.  
  
"I believe that I'm going to be a guinea pig," answered Astrea.  
  
Silver Star stretched out her arms, palms facing up, and pointed them low to the ground in Astrea's direction. Artemis and Luna backed away, not wanting to get caught up in whatever was going to happen.  
  
Silver Star whispered, "Wind." As the word left her mouth a larger breeze formed around Astrea. Silver Star visualized the wind swirling in a current around the cat and slowly drawing her up into the air until she was floating. Then, without any disruption, the wind swirled as Silver Star desired. Astrea was not even startled as she began to rise, as if this had happened many times before. The silver-haired girl remained calm and clear- headed as her power grew.  
  
Before long the cat had risen several feet in the air to be at eye level with Silver Star. The scouts stopped training to watch the spectacle. As Silver Star came out of her concentration to realize what she was doing Astrea faltered slightly in the air. But Silver Star kept her steady and soon she had found her balance with the wind. A perfect current surrounding the cat kept her hovering.  
  
"Well done," said Astrea, proud of her charge.  
  
And this was only the beginning.

Please review. I'll keep writing even if you don't, but encouragement is nice. 


	6. Dinner and Dreams

Heh heh...hello there readers...I know you may have forgotten about me and I'm very very very sorry. I got busy with another story and an internship so this kinda got put on the back-burner. And this chapter wasn't too exciting so I didn't have much motivation. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. To make up for it I did make this chapter longer. I will understand if you don't review, but please do. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.  
  
Thank you pyroKity and xfilesoc for you continuous support, and mariana for reviewing last chapter.

Chapter 6:  
  
Silver Star gently guided the wind to set Astrea back down and whispered thanks to the element. A soft current flowed around her and in a language only she could understand it said, "You're welcome."  
  
"Silver Star, that was incredible," said Sailor Moon.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Yes, you showed excellent control," said Luna.  
  
"You'll be moving things with ease in no time," said Astrea.  
  
The word 'time' stuck out in Silver Star's mind. She suddenly remembered that Darien was coming over for dinner that night. "What time is it?" she asked with urgency.  
  
Venus detransformed to see her watch. "It is 4:00," she said and promptly retransformed.  
  
"Oh my gosh! I have company coming over for dinner in an hour and a half and I haven't even begun to get ready."  
  
"Then let's get down to business now," said Artemis. "What do we know about this new enemy?"  
  
"She called herself Athene and she seemed to be pretty strong," recalled Jupiter. "Athene? Like the Greek goddess?" asked Venus.  
  
"I guess so," said Mars.  
  
"But she doesn't resemble the normal depictions of Athene," commented Mercury.  
  
"Yeah, she didn't at all look like a warrior. But she did seem to study the battle and Athene was known for her wisdom," said Moon.  
  
The other Scouts stared at Moon in shock. "How did you know that?" asked Jupiter.  
  
"I have an interest in mythology, especially Greek," Moon defended. The others shrugged in response and moved on.  
  
"Sailor Moon is right, she was studying the battle," said Mercury. "And she didn't aim her energy blasts at anyone; just threw them."  
  
"Like she was testing us?" asked Mars.  
  
"Maybe," was the only answer Mercury could give.  
  
"Either way, it seemed like she was pretty powerful," said Venus.  
  
"Yeah. We should be ready for their next attack," said Jupiter.  
  
"Do you think they'll attack again soon?" asked Silver Star nervously.  
  
The Scouts looked at each other and their guardians. "Sometimes they wait a little while and sometimes they attack again right away," Sailor Moon solemnly answered.  
  
A look of realization passed through Venus' eyes. "And Silver Star doesn't have a communicator like the rest of us. How will we reach her if something happens?"  
  
"A communicator?" asked Star.  
  
Mercury pulled hers out to show Star. It was handheld with lots of buttons and a small screen that would show the person one was speaking to. "Luna gave us each one after we started fighting together."  
  
Everyone looked at Astrea expectantly. "I don't have one for you. We didn't know what kind of technology the communicator was made of before I left so I didn't bring one."  
  
"Mercury, do you think you can make one for Star?" asked Moon.  
  
"I should be able to," said Mercury. "It will take me a few days though."  
  
"Okay. Until then we'll just have to count on Star's senses and telephones. It shouldn't be a problem," said Moon. "Anything else we need to cover?"  
  
"I don't think so," said Luna.  
  
"Then I'd better get going. I have a million things to do before he gets there," said Silver Star before she detransformed.  
  
Every Sailor Scout but Mercury suddenly leaned forward and perked their ears up. "And who is coming over for dinner?" asked Venus.  
  
Amber's eyes got wide. Knowing that it would be better to tell them now, she said in a quiet voice, "Darien."  
  
"You're having Darien over for dinner?" asked Sailor Moon.  
  
"Ya, my dad wanted to meet him since my mom and I have been seeing him so much," Amber answered as nonchalantly as she could.  
  
"Oh, okay. Have fun," Sailor Moon responded a little too calmly.  
  
Amber looked to the other girls for confirmation. When they shrugged, she said, "Thanks. Well, I'm off then. You coming with me Astrea?"  
  
"I think so," said the cat. "Good bye everyone."  
  
They said their goodbyes and Amber walked out of the temple grounds with Astrea sitting on her shoulder.  
  
"She seemed to take that a little too well," Amber told Astrea.  
  
"Yes, but we can't know how she really feels until she tells someone," said Astrea.  
  
"You're right. Besides, I have other things to worry about right now." "Sailor Moon? Are you okay?" asked Jupiter after Amber left.  
  
Anger emanated from Moon as she answered through her teeth, "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"Because you like Darien and he's going to have dinner with Amber tonight," said Venus.  
  
Moon took a deep breath before deciding how to respond. She calmly said, "You are wrong. There is nothing between me and Darien and I don't care if Amber has dinner with him. Can we please go back to fighting now."  
  
"If you say so Moon," said Mars.  
  
Sailor Moon sighed with relief as once again the girls accepted her answers. But she couldn't help wishing they would question her; that they would believe she was more than she appeared. Amber yelled hello to her parents as she ran upstairs and jumped in the shower. Afterwards she pulled on a light sundress with daises on it and decided to leave her hair down. Andrea was in the kitchen fixing fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits. They had decided to introduce Darien to their favorite American foods.  
  
Just as they were setting the table, the doorbell rang. "Ahh, he's here," cried Amber.  
  
Her parents couldn't help but laugh. "Calm down, hon. It's going to be okay. Just go answer the door."  
  
"Okay..." said Amber.  
  
She pulled open the door and took in the sight of Darien. He chose to dress up a bit and wore a nice shirt with khakis. "Amber," he exclaimed.  
  
Immediately, Amber was at ease. "Darien!"  
  
Before she knew it, Amber found herself hugging Darien again. This time he responded much faster, wrapping his arms around her.  
  
"It's good to see you too," he said as they parted. "Here, I brought you these." Darien handed her a modest bouquet of red roses.  
  
"They're beautiful. Thank you so much. Please come in," she gestured for him to follow.  
  
Darien slipped off his shoes and went into the dinning room. "Darien, you already know my mother, Andrea. This is my father, Luke," Amber said as she placed the flowers in a vase for the table.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Darien said, bowing to the man.  
  
"I am honored to meet you as well," said Luke, also bowing. "But please, call my wife and I by our first names."  
  
"Thank you Luke."  
  
"Dinner is almost ready, Darien. Amber, why don't you help me bring it out?"  
  
"Okay, Mom."  
  
Soon dinner was on the table and everyone was enjoying the meal. They made small talk about work and life in the U.S. Luke asked Darien about his life and the young man described it as well as he could while keeping a certain masked man a secret. After they had finished and chatted a while, Darien had to leave.  
  
"Thank you for having me over."  
  
"Anytime Darien," said Luke.  
  
"See you on Monday Andrea."  
  
"I'll walk you to your car," said Amber.  
  
They left the house and stopped next to his car. "Amber, thanks a lot for letting me into your family tonight. It was...wonderful."  
  
"Of course, Darien. You're welcome in our house anytime."  
  
His eyes softened, and Amber saw a wave of sorrow pass through them. But Darien offered no more details, merely as a sad smile, and she didn't press for more. They hugged one last time before he drove off.  
  
That night dreams ascended upon Amber again. The same meadow...the same swing...the same boy...  
  
DREAM  
  
She was a child again. Her silver hair blown in her eyes by the wind. This time she noticed the light dress she wore: white with silver threads sown in here and there. Still barefoot, she and they boy chased each other around the tree before swinging. No words were spoken but laughter was constant.  
  
The man and woman appeared over the horizon. They seemed to sparkle in the light. They beckoned for them to come; it was time to leave now. The boy left Amber's side without a second thought. A few feet away, he saw that she was not following. His eyes grew sad  
  
_ He doesn't want me to leave...he's so sad. Why am I supposed to come? I want to stay here...  
_  
Then the boy was with the adults. He was still sad, but the man and woman seemed to understand her confusion. The man placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and they were all smiling. They smiled at her. Amber knew she was safe.  
  
_They still feel familiar...how do I know these people...  
_  
The woman brought her hand to her forehead, pointing at something there, but Amber couldn't see what. The man did the same. Something started glowing on their foreheads and suddenly her symbol was burning. The star didn't hurt, but heat emanated from it. She touched her star and the glowing brightened until she couldn't see anything else. As the light finally dimmed, Amber saw them...  
  
_The man and the boy have a symbol on their foreheads as well...a sort of thick cross that extends out of a small circle...the entire thing is brown...  
The woman...hers is so much brighter...what...  
_  
Just as the woman's light began to dim everything faded.  
  
_No, not yet...please...I have to know...  
  
_ The last thing Amber saw was the woman nodding her head and a single word echoing from her  
  
_"Soon..."_  
  
END DREAM  
  
But the dream was over and Amber was left confused in her bed in the moonlight.  
  
Amber spent the remainder of the night in a restless sleep. In the morning she described the symbol to Astrea who again seemed to recognize the image that plagued Amber's dream, but refused to give any straight answers.  
  
"Astrea, these people know me." Amber went on even though she would get no response. "They know me. They are connected to me."  
  
All Astrea could say was, "Soon. I promise, soon." 

That night Serena also had dreamed. She was the princess in a ball room of some sort wearing her normal dress. She saw some of her scouts wearing gowns dancing. Lots of people were waving to her, but she didn't recognize any of them. She saw Amber, but she had silver hair like her alter persona. She was also looking beautiful and held the arm of a tall man with dark her. Serena gasped as she realized, _"Darien!"_  
  
They saw Serena and began walking over and Serena was nervous and embarrassed. She didn't know what to do. She was trapped. And then Darien was in front of her and Amber smiled. And then Serena was dancing with Darien.  
  
This was more normal for Serena's dreams: Darien frequented them and they were usually dancing.  
  
As the happiness faded into the whine of an alarm clock, Serena woke up wondering, "Why in the world was Amber in my dream?"  
  
That afternoon, Serena's mother asked her to get groceries. After what Serena thought was a decent amount of whining, she gave in and gathered her stuff to leave. Walking out the door she heard her mother say, "You never used to complain so much about this. What happened?"  
  
She thought to herself, "If only you knew, Mother, if only you knew."  
  
Walking up and down the crowded aisles, Serena gracefully avoided all other carts and spills on the floor. She was almost finished when she rounded a corner and found Darien looking at her.  
  
"Darien!" she exclaimed. She quickly glanced at the floor and found a lone grape rolling by. With an inner sigh, she stepped on it and prepared to crash into the floor.  
  
"Careful, Serena," said Darien as he easily caught her with one arm.  
  
Without either of them meaning to, Serena found herself lying in the dip position with Darien leaning over her.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered, overwhelmed by his closeness. She breathed in his cologne and relaxed completely.  
  
Darien, too, was having issues controlling himself. Every inch of his body was screaming at him to kiss her. Darien didn't come to his senses until a passerby cleared his throat. Then he righted Serena, keeping his arm around her waist a few seconds longer the necessary.  
  
Once his voice had returned, he asked, "Are you alright, Serena?"  
  
"Yeah, Darien, I'm fine," she answered frustrated and embarrassed. A sudden realization came over her, "You called me Serena."  
  
The girl beamed with pure joy so brightly that Darien couldn't bear to end it. "Yeah, well, it's not that I don't like your name. I just like my name for you better."  
  
Serena smiled and thought, "His name for me, huh? So maybe it's not as bad of a nickname as I thought."  
  
Darien decided it would be best to change the subject, "So, what are you doing here?"  
  
Serena gestured to her cart of food, "Getting groceries. A normal activity for someone at a grocery store. And you?"  
  
"Oh, umm," Darien tried to recover, "I'm getting food too. Need something to eat for dinner."  
  
"Dinner, ah yes. How was dinner with Amber last night?"  
  
Darien visibly paled. "How did you know about that?"  
  
Serena raised her eyebrows, "She hung out with us yesterday; had to leave early for dinner with you."  
  
"Oh, uh, dinner was good. It was nice to eat with a family," Darien trailed off.  
  
"Yeah, that's always nice," Serena immediately remember Andrew telling her about Darien's parents being killed in a car accident when he was little. Luckily, she knew her mother was expecting so Serena didn't have to stay and try to avoid the subject. "I have to get going Darien, but I'll see you tomorrow at the arcade, okay?" While she spoke her right hand moved without her permission to squeeze his shoulder.  
  
Darien looked at her hand touching him. "Yeah, I'll see you then." His voice betrayed him, expressing his amazement.  
  
Serena began to walk away when he called to her. "Serena, did we just have our first real conversation ever?"  
  
Serena paused. "Wow. We did."  
  
"Cool. I'll see you later...Serena," Darien at the last moment, decided that he shouldn't ruin the moment by calling her Meatball Head. As he watcher her walk away, Darien thought to himself, "I'm one step closer to her. Yes!"

I'm looking forward to the next chapter, but before I write it I have to update my other story. In any case, the next chapter should be out much soon than this one was. Thank you for your patience!


	7. David

Hi guys! So you remember how I said I was excited about the next scene? Well, it was so stuck in my head that I ended up writing it all today. It's short, but I like it. Yay! And it's Friday, so enjoy your weekend!  
  
I'm really sorry! I forgot to mention in the last chapter that my friend Kawasi created the symbol mentioned in Amber's dream. I promised him I'd tell ya'll. (  
  
Chapter 7:  
  
It was Monday and Amber was back at school. She was shoving some books in her locker when Ebony and Elise came up from behind her.  
  
"So," said Elise, making Amber jump.  
  
"Ah, you scared me!" cried Amber.  
  
Elise continued unfazed, "Why did you have to cancel on us Saturday?"  
  
Amber was determined to stay calm. "At the last minute my father invited a friend over for dinner." She put the last book in her locker and then heaved her bag in there too.  
  
Ebony smirked. "Yes. A friend who happens to be the tall, dark, and handsome college student Darien Shields."  
  
Amber gasped. "How did you?!"  
  
At the same time Ebony and Elise shouted, "How could you not tell us?"  
  
"I was going to tell you afterwards. How did yo know?"  
  
"Mina has been spreading the word all morning," said Elise.  
  
"Oh no," cried Amber. "We have to put a stop to this before you-know- who finds out. If you see her, tell her to stop and that I'll talk to her later."  
  
"Can do," said Elise. "But we will get the scoop on this later, won't we?"  
  
"Of course," said Amber. "I hope this gets under control before—"  
  
"Hey Amber," said a deep voice.  
  
Chills immediately streamed down Amber's spine. She knew who it was without looking. But the girls turned anyway and found David standing next to Amber. Her eyes were caught by his and she was lost in the desert of his golden-speckled brown eyes. "Hi David," she said in a wispy voice.  
  
"We had better get going. Don't want to be late for art class."  
  
Amber unconsciously straightened her clothes as she responded. "Okay. I'll see you later girls." The girls giggled their goodbyes.  
  
Without taking her eyes from David, Amber walked with him down the hall. He stood a few inches taller than her, stopping at 6'0; but he wasn't intimidating in the least. He was very welcoming, very approachable. And yet, shyness still overcome her whenever she neared him.  
  
As they reached the classroom, David said, "So, I hear you went out with Darien Shields last weekend."  
  
Amber groaned. "You heard that too?"  
  
David furrowed his eyebrows and then a sparkle entered his eyes. "It's not true?"  
  
"No," said Amber sternly. "He is just a friend of mine and works with my mother at the hospital so he came over to our house for dinner. But there's nothing going on between us." She was determined to make this clear to David, even though she didn't actually know how she felt about Darien.  
  
David smiled. "Good to know."  
  
The walked into the room and noticed that it was already half full of people sitting next to their friends. A few looked up as they walked into the room, wondering why David would be talking to her. Amber didn't have any close friends in this class so she always sat in a back corner, gazing at David from afar. She expected him to smile goodbye and head to the front of the class, near the other popular kids, as usual. Amber was as surprised as anyone in the room when he turned purposefully to the back and said to her, "Come on."  
  
He sat in Amber's normal seat and before Amber could ask what was going on the teacher began to speak.  
  
"Class, as you all know, today we're starting a new project," began Mrs. Casma. "I want you to sketch out a landscape that you will paint later in the week. It doesn't need to be complex; add as much detail as you think fits. It can be any place you want, real or not; but no people or animals. Take a little while to think and then begin. I'll be walking around if you need me."  
  
Amber knew she wouldn't need to think about it. She had a unique knack for drawing; usually her hand would decide what to do before her mind caught on. As soon as Mrs. Casma said 'landscape' Amber's hand had begun sketching. She quickly saw her dream forming on paper.  
  
Amber's pencil gingerly graced the paper gradually forming a giant tree. She didn't notice David's eyes on her as she added branches and leaves, and finally a swing captured mid-air.  
  
"David, don't you think you should begin as well," said Mrs. Casma, breaking both David's and Amber's thoughts.  
  
Amber turned in time to see David's blush as he began sketching on his paper.  
  
As Amber's drawing neared complete he memories of the dream became more vivid, and she felt the star warm and brighten in response. She paused to reinforce the shield that had been placed over the star that morning.  
  
Before class was over Mrs. Casma walked by Amber again. "What a beautiful scene. And it looks like your almost done, Amber."  
  
"Yeah, it came faster than I though," said Amber, softly, her mind still connected to the dream.  
  
"You'll be painting by tomorrow. Wonderful," said Mrs. Casma as she moved to dismiss the class.  
  
David leaned over to Amber and whispered in English, so less people would understand, "It's a beautiful picture, Amber. It looks kind of familiar. Where is it?"  
  
Now Amber was brought fully back to the real world. She looked at David with wide eyes. "I've never been there before, but I've seen it in dreams lately."  
  
"Strange," responded David.  
  
Amber leaned over to look at his picture. It was only half finished, depicting a night sky. Off to the left, a planet that was obviously Earth had a dim glow while something to the right was shining brightly. "Your sky is gorgeous," she told him. "What is that star off to the right?"  
  
"It's not a star," he answered. "It's a planet. A planet that's very far away."  
  
"Oh. What planet is it?"  
  
"I don't know yet," he said and grinned. "It seems that both of our pictures have some mystery to them."  
  
Hey guys! Since this chapter is better, I'm hoping for reviews again. Thanks for the last review xfilesoc! Always appreciate the encouragement. And I noticed that I got put on another author alert list. Woo hoo!!! Talk to you all later! 


	8. Battle with Apollo

Hi guys! I know it's been a while since I've updated, but this is a long one (7 pages!!!). Forgive me and I hope you like it!

Chapter 8:

Amber threw the door of the arcade open and quickly met Andrew's surprised eyes. After briefly glancing around she saw that Darien was not there. She also noticed that a certain English blonde who had been avoiding her all day wasn't present. "Andrew," Amber said as calmly as she could, "have you seen Mina yet today?"

Andrew answered quickly, "Yeah, she came by about 10 minutes ago to talk to the girls really quick and then took off."

A short growl came from Amber. "I don't suppose she said anything to you."

A sly grin spread across Andrew's face, showing that he now knew what was going on. "She did, but Darien had already told me about the dinner at your house.

"Then I'm sure you corrected her and said that nothing happened," said Amber, starting a sigh of relief.

"Of course not. That would have ruined all the fun," Andrew smirked, waiting for the reaction.

"Andrew," Amber whined. "You're no help at all." She put her head down on the counter.

Andrew bent down and said in her ear, "Just so you know, Amber, I think of all the girls as my little sisters. Now that you're a part of the group, you're my little sis too. And what kind of brother would I be if I didn't bug you?"

"Great," said a muffled Amber. "I finally get a brother and look at how he treats me."

"Okay, okay. Will you let me off the hook if I give you a piece of interesting information that Darien told me last night that none of the girls but Serena knows?"

Amber perked up immediately. "Deal."

"Oh, now it's okay to gossip?" teased Andrew.

"Hey, I have valid reasons for being mad at Mina, involving a guy at school I have a crush on."

Andrew's eyebrows rose. "Really?"

"Yes; now spill," Amber ordered.

Andrew paused for a moment, debating how much information to give. But after hearing that Amber already had a crush on another guy, he figured he could tell all. "Darien had a run in with Serena at the grocery store yesterday. The interesting part is that when Serena fell Darien caught her, pondered kissing her but didn't, and he didn't call her Meatball Head once."

"You're kidding! They had a civil conversation?" Amber exclaimed, happy for both of them on instinct. In more of a whisper, "And almost kissed her?!"

"Yep," affirmed Andrew.

"And none of the girls know about it?"

Andrew directed Amber's attention to Serena, Lita, Ami, and Rei sitting at their normal table. "It doesn't seem like it."

At that moment Serena looked up at them with narrowed eyes.

"It looks like she's suspicious of us," commented Amber.

"Of course she is," replied Andrew.

Together, they winked at her. She startled, blushed a little, and then tried to get back to the girls' conversation. Andrew and Amber burst out laughing.

Darien had entered in time to hear Andrew tell all and caught Serena's eyes while Andrew and Amber were laughing. Darien shrugged and grinned. Serena's blush deepened as she smiled back. This time the girls at the table noticed Serena's red face and started drilling her. Serena looked to Darien for help but he decided it would be best to turn his attention to Amber; one girl is much easier to deal with then four.

By now Andrew had seen Darien, but chose not to say anything. Darien took this opportunity to sneak up behind the girl with silver streaks and grab her around the waist.

"Ahhhh!" The scream caught the attention of everyone in the arcade and some people outside.

Not that Darien cared in the least. He was now almost on the floor, laughing so hard that he was bent over. Andrew couldn't help but join him. Amber merely smiled and rolled her eyes as a small blush tinted her cheeks. As her eyes gazed over the crowd, Serena caught her attention by the sorrowful look on her face. It was brief, though, and when Serena realized Amber saw it she quickly changed to the normal sunshine grin that everyone saw as her personality.

Once Darien had regained his balance and the arcade had stopped staring, he said to Amber, "That's what you get for embarrassing Serena so much."

"What?!" said Andrew before Amber had a chance to say anything. "You always pick on her in front of everyone. Why do can't we?"

Darien froze, seeing his mistake. "Umm..."

"Come now, I'm interested to hear this too," said Amber.

"Umm..." Darien desperately tried to regain his calm, "I just do, okay?"

Amber and Andrew accepted that, perhaps too easily. "Okay."

**Serena's POV**

Serena was having a good day. Though still curious about her dreams, she enjoyed every moment of them and got a full night's sleep because of it. Serena used this as an excuse for not sleeping in a single class and getting a B on her language quiz.

All of her friends, scout or not, were questioning her about this odd behavior, but none of the other kids noticed. They were too busy gossiping about the latest Sailor Scout sighting.

When all the Scouts met at the arcade that afternoon, Serena's mood only blossomed more at the prospect of seeing Darien and Amber. Darien because, well, she was always happy to see him, no matter how she acted. Amber because Serena wanted to discuss the dreams.

Lita, Ami, and Serena sat down at the table with Rei just as Mina rushed through the door. She had a fast, excited conversation with Andrew and then joined the girls.

"What's up Mina?" asked Lita. Serena could already guess what was coming.

"Well, as soon as I got to school I kinda started telling everyone I saw about Darien eating dinner at Amber's house and when Amber heard she got kinda mad cause some guy she likes heard about it too and so I've been avoiding Amber all day and I have to run now before she gets here. See ya later guys!" With that Mina took a big breath and left.

The girls burst out laughing. As they slowly returned to normal conversation, Serena noticed Amber come in and tried to keep an eye on her so they could talk later. She could feel mild anger and frustration emanating in waves from Amber, but no one else seemed to notice. "Guess Mina wasn't lying," thought Serena. "She doesn't realize she's projecting emotions. But that shouldn't matter much right now since no one else can tell."

As Serena watched Amber's head sink onto the table she felt the emotions dim until they could no longer register on Serena's built in radar. Serena smiled, glad that it had passed.

But as the two turned to Serena she grew suspicious. "What do they know? Dinner isn't that interesting. Oh no, the store!" she thought.

As the two winked at her, Serena felt the heat rise in her face and quickly tried to ignore every thought that was running through her mind.

In response, Andrew and Amber began laughing. While she was avoiding their eyes, Serena saw Darien and caught his attention immediately. She gave him the best "Please help me!" look she had and all he did was shrug and smile. That was plenty for Serena. Her face became a ripe tomato at the thought of Darien's fantastic grin beaming at her.

Unfortunately, this was a sight Lita, Ami, and Rei could not miss. Serena was ripped from a brief day dream by Rei's voice. "Serena, why are you red?"

Sure, the question was innocent enough, but it only made things worse for Serena's skin. Serena was speechless, wondering what she could possible say to make this better.

And then a scream.

"Thank you God," thought Serena as she turned to find Darien nearly rolling on the floor.

That was all the distraction the girls needed. "What happened?" asked Lita.

"It looks like Darien came up from behind Amber and grabbed her waist, scaring her half to death, and Andrew did nothing about it," answered Ami, nonchalantly.

"Since when is Darien a flirt?" asked Rei.

"Serena quietly gasped. But as soon as the fear of Darien going out with Amber had entered her mind it was gone. Since the dreams had begun it didn't feel like Amber was competition anymore. Serena didn't understand why yet, but was glad.

The girls were now discussing the possibility of Darien and Amber becoming an item and Serena was content to smile and nod her head to their words. She had no worries, and why should she spoil their fun.

**End Serena POV**

Darien, Andrew, and Amber had begun a new conversation as soon as Darien had picked himself off the floor. Amber enjoyed being near them and listened, but didn't participate very much. The boys noticed how preoccupied she seemed, but chose to say nothing.

Suddenly something pricked the back of Amber's mind. "Oh no," she had time to think before her body stiffened. She could feel danger near by...another attack. "I have to find out where and what's going on. God gave me this gift and I have to figure it out," she thought.

Amber pushed into the bad feelings floating through her mind. As she searched, a pain began to develop, surrounding her consciousness. It was faint at first, growing into a steady pounding streak of pain. But she reached the place where the sense of danger was emanating.

**(vision)**

All around Amber was a black fog. And then an arrow came to her in slow motion leaving a green trail behind it. As the arrow grew near, Amber saw that the shaft was wood and the head crystal of some sort. The tip had a green liquid dripping off of it.

Amber heard screams in the background then. And the vision disappeared.

When Amber opened her eyes, she saw midnight blue eyes with some charcoal hair hanging down in front of them. Her first thought was, "Why is the boy from my dreams here?"

But then her eyes focused and a voice came through. Darien and Andrew were talking to her.

"Amber, are you okay?" asked Andrew.

"Say something," pleaded Darien.

"Uh, what? I'm okay," Amber said. She had to think fast and get out of there. Amber glanced at the Scouts. They were looking at her and Serena nodded. Amber continued, "I just realized that I have somewhere else to be. Sorry, guys, I've got to go."

Before Darien or Andrew could say another word Amber was gone. The girls waited a few moments and then ran past them calling, "Bye guys!"

As Serena passed she looked Darien in the eye. "Bye Darien."

Switching all his attention to Serena, he answered, "Goodbye Meatball Head." Serena smiled and ran off.

Amber paused at the end of the block so the girls could catch up. Lita, Ami, Rei, and Serena soon joined her. Rei grabbed Amber by the arm and directed her into a nearby alley. They all transformed and Silver Star said, "There's an attack—"

"Yeah. Venus called us with it," said Jupiter. "The monster is at the mall. Let's get going."

They began running through the streets. Moon and Mars hung back near Silver Star. "What did you see?" asked Moon.

"I thought...you might...have noticed," Silver Star said between breaths. She wasn't used to running like that. Silver Star quickly explained the vision and described the arrow.

When she finished, Moon asked, "Any idea what it means Mars?"

"Can't tell until we know what kind of visions she has. We should find out soon. There's the monster."

The creature had a human shape, but knives were poking out all over its body like needles on a cactus. The monster did have hands and was throwing daggers at people. Venus had a few shallow slices on her arms and legs from dodging them.

"Thank goodness you guys are here," cried Venus as she joined the group. All three cats ran over as well, they had been hiding in some bushes.

"So hand-to-hand combat is out of the question?" asked Jupiter with a grin. 

"I wouldn't recommend it," replied Venus. "But all other attacks would be helpful."

"Let's go then," said Mars.

"Right," the others agreed and ran onto the battlefield.

Silver Star moved to go with them, but Astrea stopped her. "You can't go yet' you haven't trained enough. At this point you may be more of a hindrance than a help, so stay here unless you're needed."

"But Astrea," she protested, "I can't just sit back here while they fight." 

"You know that she's right, Silver Star," said Luna. "Stay back here with us and observe. Maybe it will even help you to learn some of their tactics."

Silver Star gave up arguing and leaned against a building to watch. Each Scout threw their own attack at the monster, slowly weakening it, but had to keep moving so they wouldn't be skewered.

Nothing was said until a voice came from above. "Not going to help them today?" Silver Star looked up to find Tuxedo Mask sitting on a street lamp. He jumped down to her. "You were so willing to help before."

Silver Star sighed. "I have been instructed not to help today unless they really need it because I'm still in training."

Tuxedo raised an eyebrow. "So you're working with them then?"

"Yes," she answered. "My name is Silver Star."

"Very well," said Tuxedo.

A sudden explosion turned Star's head in time to see the Scouts leap out of the way. "What was that?" she asked.

Tuxedo stared at Star for a moment longer before turning to the sky and pointing at a spot across the street. Star followed his arm to a man floating in mid-air. He was smirking as he watched the battle. Within a few moments he disappeared and repositioned himself further down the street.

"He's been doing that the entire battle so the Scouts wouldn't see him. Anytime they get too close to the monster he throws an energy blast at them," Tuxedo explained.

"No idea who he is?" asked Star.

"Never seen him before, but likely connected to the woman from last time. The bad guys usually work in groups."

"And you've been watching the battle this whole time?"

"Almost," he said. "They haven't needed me yet."

Star searched for the man and spotted him closer this time with his back slightly facing them. "What's that on his back?" asked Star. "I can't make it out in the shadows."

Tuxedo turned his attention back to the man and replied, "It looks like a bow and some arrows."

"An arrow?! Oh no," said Star as things clicked into place. "I think he's going to shoot one of the Scouts and that would be very bad."

"What are you talking about?" asked Tuxedo.

"There's something very bad on that arrow...on the tip," Star said as she remembered the vision. "We can't let it hit one of the Scouts."

"How do you know all of this?" asked Tuxedo.

"I...I had a vision about it. I don't understand all of it yet, but I know that the arrow will hurt someone. Please, just trust me."

"Okay," he replied with only a moment's thought. Glancing back up at the man, he said, "It looks like he's getting ready to shoot. What can you do?"

"I can push him with some wind," Star suggested tentatively.

"Wind, huh?" Tuxedo said. "Okay. We should hurry. It looks like he's taking aim."

She watched as the man pulled out an arrow. "Suggestions?"

"You take care of him," said Tuxedo.

"And you take care of the arrow," finished Star, gaining confidence.

"Right. Let's go," said Tuxedo.

The two ran toward the man. Star stopped a few yards short as Tuxedo continued and jumped in the air.

"Please, Wind," Star whispered. "Please help me protect my friends. Please help me push this man out of the way."

Star raised her arms and felt power gather around and within her. The man had the arrow set in his bow. He drew the arrow back. Star's palms faced the man as she imagined him being shoved out of the way. A smirk passed over the man's face as she cried, "Wind!"

He released the arrow as the word left Star's lips. The gust of wind crashed into him, slamming him into the building a block away. He fell to the ground afterward.

Tuxedo threw a rose at the flying arrow, changing the trajectory. It stuck in the ground between Jupiter and Venus. "Scouts, watch out! The man controlling this monster is trying to shoot you with arrows," Tuxedo warned. The Scouts stopped fighting long enough to see the arrow and the man, and shout thanks.

Tuxedo joined Star as she stared in shock at the man still on the ground. Tuxedo asked her, "Did you mean to knock him back into that wall?"

"No," said Star. "I guess it will take a while for me to control my powers."

The man stood and rose to the air. He swiftly flew to them and Tuxedo protectively stepped in front of Star.

"Who are you?" yelled the man in surprise and frustration. "There were only supposed to be five girls.

"I'm Silver Star. Who are you?" shouted back Star, trying to be brave.

"I am Apollo," he replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have people to kill."

With that, Apollo disappeared again. "Scouts, keep you're eyes open," yelled Star.

Tuxedo and Star desperately tried to track Apollo as the Scouts neared killing the monster. Every time they spotted Apollo he smiled and moved again.

"What do we do?" asked Star, getting anxious.

"Whatever we can," said Tuxedo calmly. "You keep an eye out for Apollo. I'm going to help the Scouts. The sooner this battle is over the better."

"Right," said Star.

With Tuxedo helping, Sailor Moon prepared to deal the final blow. Star found Apollo and used wind again, but too late. She could not change the arrow's course.

"Jupiter!" Star cried as the arrow dug into Jupiter's thigh. The amazon yelled in pain and sank to the ground.

Star's eyes flashed back to Apollo, seething with anger. "See you again soon, Silver Star." He disappeared again as his monster turned to moon dust.

Star gave a short scream of frustration before running to the group huddled around Sailor Jupiter. Tuxedo Mask stood off to the side. As Star passed him, Tuxedo said, "It's not your fault." He nodded his head to her and left.

Jupiter was crying from pain. Mercury tried to analyze the arrow with her minicomputer but it turned to dust in a few moments. The arrow that had missed was also gone.

"Let's just get her home," said Mars.

"She can't stay alone tonight. We don't know what's happening to her," said Mercury, logical as always.

"She can stay with me," said Venus. "My parents are gone this weekend."

"Okay, Venus. Help me get her up. Do you think you can walk?" asked Mercury.

"Yeah, the pain is a bit less now that the arrow is gone," said Jupiter. Mercury and Venus each took one of her arms and started walking her home. Moon, Mars, and Star followed.

"So you vision was of the immediate future, huh?" said Mars. "Good; that will be handy."

Star smiled in response, still thinking about all that happened in the battle. Mars ran ahead to help the others. They all detransformed in an alley.

"Amber, we need to talk later too," said Serena.

"What's wrong?" asked Amber.

"Well, I've been having dreams since I became Sailor Moon, but now you're in them too. I'd like to compare them to your dreams."

"Okay," said Amber. "I'll take all the help I can get figuring out mine."

"Great," said Serena. "I'm going to have a Scout meeting tomorrow afternoon to talk about everything that happened today. How about we meet early?"

"That sounds like a great idea," said Amber.

"Good. Let's help them get Lita home."


End file.
